Labyrinth of Fate
by 4eros
Summary: Shirou had faithfully followed the path set out by fate, but what does fate have in store for him? As one chapter of Shirou's life comes to an end, another is just beginning.
1. Prologue - A New Fate

Random Disclaimer – I do not own any of the original material used in this story

**[Labyrinth of Fate; Start]**

_"Shirou Emiya, you are hereby sentenced to death by hanging for your treason against humanity."_

The declaration of Shirou's demise had been decided with no opposition from the crowd. Rather, most of the villagers were delighted, and some even cried out in an uproar asking for a crueler form of death. Many had beseeched the use of torture and inflicting unimaginable pain onto Shirou's body until his mind would break, while some wanted his existence out of this world as soon as possible.

A looming darkness engulfed the hundred or so villagers who stood below the platform where Shirou was being detained. They were overcome with a blood thirsting frenzy, an irrational and almost beast-like state of mind, and a desolate desire for a false sense of justice. It was as if Shirou were staring into a bottomless pit imbued with the evils released from Pandora's Box; a resentful wickedness that lurks deep within mankind.

Their voices called out for death and Shirou emptily gazed upon the disturbing image of those below him. They no longer looked human to him, all he could see now were the movements of shadows as his vision felt like it was becoming distorted from the sickening sight before him. It had never occurred to Shirou that the faces of those he had saved… would ever disgust him as much as it did now.

Did their desire to extinguish Shirou's life overthrow their sensibility and their own human identity?

… Or was this the true hidden face of man?

A stern shove to Shirou's lower back brought him back to reality as he was pushed forward to the edge of the platform. His arms were bound behind his back with steel wires, both of his feet were shackled by heavy chains, and he was surrounded on all sides by armed individuals. His situation would look hopeless to any spectators, yet the possibility of escape was not impossible; in actuality, the chance of eluding incarceration was still within Shirou's capabilities.

In fact, the truth was that Shirou was being falsely accused for a crime in which he was not responsible for. This village and many others were involved in a war between users of magecraft that indiscriminately took the lives of anyone, ranging from children to the elderly who were unfortunate enough to live within the warzone. This battlefield began because a group of practitioners studying magecraft were researching on the forbidden topic of vampires. Their test subjects happened to be the innocent victims from the surrounding villages which resulted in the Living Dead overrunning the surrounding lands; all because of a selfish desire to perfect the ability to become a Dead Apostle. Hundreds of innocents were slaughtered, and Shirou and a few of his allies had hastily intervened in an attempt to stop the mayhem before more serious consequences would take place.

They could not prevent it in time.

Eventually, the Church and the Mage's Association had caught wind of the activities revolving around vampirism and took action to apprehend the group of magi. Shirou and his allies had fought desperately to end the war, yet the perpetrators who initiated the war were never uncovered. Villages were 'cleansed' of all living and nonliving things. Anyone who had even caught a glimpse of magecraft was silenced by the Enforcers, and those who were believed to have contact with the Living Dead were erased by the members of the Church.

Even after a long drawn out battle between the different groups, there was no progress. No one was even sure whether those heretical magi still remained in the country. Still, the investigations of the Church and Mage's Association were to continue until the criminals were found or until all villages within the region were accounted for and eliminated. This meant the number of casualties continued to rise, despite the number of individuals that Shirou was able to save. At times, Shirou himself would combat against other magi in order to save at least one innocent victim who was caught up in this mess. Despite the efforts to stop him by his allies, Shirou could not remain idle while those around him required saving. Inevitably, Shirou decided to temporarily leave his allies in order to act alone for his goal in life; to perform his duties as an 'Ally of Justice'.

Shirou unremittingly fought against the Church and the Mage's Association to save as many as he could. That was until he was betrayed.

Unlike with the Church, Shirou had connections through the Mage's Association through Rin Tohsaka, his most cherished friend. That's why his allies sold him out to the Church. They branded him as the mastermind behind the research on vampires, and blamed him for the massive loss of lives. His ex-allies would be rewarded for the apprehension of the Church's target, and their original objective would be achieved.

There were no connections between Shirou and the Church, and thus, his identity was nothing other than the villain who brought about chaos in this peaceful region. Those he had trusted betrayed him; they had fought together in life or death situations across the lands, and yet, something as simple as ending a mission and acquiring payments was enough for them to break the imaginary bonds Shirou had thought existed.

Rage had embedded itself securely into his mind. Shirou could've struggled to show he was with the Mage's Assocation, and that his ex-allies were fabricating the actual truth to bring about an illusionary ending.

But in the end he didn't. Rin would surely kick his ass and give him the biggest lecture if she had found out about all this.

Shirou understood that the Church probably realized that he was just a scapegoat and that finding the actual group responsible was a fleeting goal. Not only that, but Shirou was reported to have battled against many of their own followers, and had even injured some in his futile attempts to save others. Ultimately, Shirou was the ideal sacrifice to put an end to this story.

A makeshift trial was established in one of the villages in order to provide a modified version of what had transpired to the villagers. Details regarding the existence of magecraft were completely removed from the story, and instead, Shirou was labelled as a terrorist that massacred the surrounding villages for his extremist beliefs and religion.

Gathered below the platform where Shirou was currently standing were the hundreds of faces that Shirou had risked his life to save, and situated in front of Shirou's face was the ominous ligature that would end his life through strangulation. It dangled from side to side as the gentle breeze blew across the bizarre and final stage of the young red-haired adult. The sky was bathed in a dazzling orange hue as twilight approached from the extended horizon. It wasn't obvious to Shirou before, but now that he looked towards the lands, it was beautiful beyond words as eloquent skies contrasted against the plain fields of dirt and grass. For some reason, this sight made Shirou contemplate about how he had lived his seemingly short life. He was still a few months short of nineteen and he still hadn't accomplished as much as he had planned in life.

"You bastard!" anguished cries continued to reverberate across the otherwise silent skies. "My family was living in one of those villages you destroyed!"

"My husband was visiting one of those villages… Why did you take him away from me…?"

"I'll never forgive you, I would kill you myself if I had the chance!"

"My brothers and sisters, you murdered them all! I hope you go to hell you monster!"

"Kill him already!"

"Take this you bastard!"

A sudden force pounded against Shirou's skull as a warm liquid trailed down his face. He continued to hollowly look forward to the fading sun and light. It wasn't long before another solid object crashed into his face, followed by another that scraped across his left shoulder, and soon enough all he could feel was a stinging pain coursing throughout his body.

He was being pelted by rocks by the very people he had saved from a forbidding and unwarranted death. After seeing enough, the guards asked the crowd to cease as they moved to wrap the loop of rope around his neck. Shirou did not resist or plead for mercy; instead he closed his eyes and waited.

Blood continued streaming down his face as he did not bother reinforcing his body to minimize the damage. It was all going to end soon anyway, and then the crowd would cheer over his lifeless body.

However, this foreseeable future did not deter Shirou from his ideals. Despite losing his life for a cause that would never be appreciated, Shirou would die knowing he had saved the lives of hundreds of people. He did not save lives for the rewards, nor was it for the fame. Shirou saved lives because that was his reason for living, it was his very existence, and this end had almost felt fitting for someone like him. Though he had been betrayed, and accused by the very people he had saved; he was happy. Sacrificing his life was a small price to pay for saving the lives of hundreds of individuals.

This was who Shirou Emiya really was, this was his very existence, and this was his fate.

The rope around his neck suddenly tightened as if he were being choked by Death's hands. Shirou's body was suspended up in the air by only the rope, and slowly he began losing consciousness.

With the little strength Shirou had left, he opened his eyes and took one last look at his world. Memories and past experiences flashed before his eyes as he began welcoming death. The time when his past life had ended and he became Shirou Emiya, the look on his father's face as he rescued him from the burning city, the unforgettable times with his father, the dreadful experiences of the Holy Grail War, his decision to become a Freelancer who hunted down heretical magi much like his father, his farewell with Rin who remained at the Clock Tower, and finally, the moment where he was betrayed.

One last question evaded his mind which was starting to slip away into the void.

_I wonder… did anyone ever truly understand me?_

Before his vision faded away, the last thing he could make out was a flurry of illuminating white butterflies that enveloped his body.

* * *

"Aladdin, have you thought of your wish you would like to have granted?" a tender voice was heard from a very unlikely source. A blue giant man who stood well over ten meters tall sat in the center of a large room with his legs crossed. His body was massive and very muscular, yet his face was very woman-like, which often resulted in envy from both genders.

"Yup! I think I know what I want now, Ugo" the short young boy named Aladdin replied with a beaming smile. He had long blue hair in a long braid that reached down to his back. As he spoke, his large and sparkling blue eyes glanced up to his large blue companion.

The two of them were together in a large room known as the 'Room of Fortitude', which could not be unlocked until a certain time. Despite the two of them being acquaintances for large sum of time already, Ugo still had to refrain from telling Aladdin too much information because of restriction placed on him. It greatly hurt him to keep Aladdin in the dark; there was not much Ugo could do for him. So now that the young boy had finally decided on his wish, Ugo was suddenly hit with a sense of euphoria.

"I see, what is your wish then?" Ugo asked with inclination as he motioned forward to hear the young child's desire. The child was special, and it was Ugo's honest aspiration to do whatever was in his power to make Aladdin happy. After all, Aladdin carried a great burden on his shoulders. As a reward for the hardships Aladdin had already endured, and for all the plights and difficulties he would have to challenge in the future, a single wish of his would be bestowed by the powers of the Rukh.

"I want a friend that's similar to me," Aladdin brightly stated with pure and virtuous intentions.

"A friend?" Ugo had not expected such an innocent wish. When given the chance for a wish, it was normal to hear grandiose cravings such as unlimited money, absurd power, or immortality. In a sense, Ugo should not have been surprised; Aladdin was not an ordinary person.

"Yup! You're already my first and best friend, Ugo, but you're very different from me," Aladdin explained the reasoning for his wish. "You've made it clear to me that I'm someone different from everyone in the outside world. Don't you think that's a little lonely?"

"Aladdin…" Ugo was elated to hear that the child had already considered him as a friend, even though it was his duty to keep Aladdin imprisoned inside the Room of Fortitude until further notice. The blue giant was never one to have a lot of friends because of his shy demeanour, and now this young boy was willing to be his friend.

Isolation and seclusion is an attribute given to those that are different from the norms of society. For Aladdin who would carry great power and see the world in a different light; this feeling of never truly fitting in could lead to shattering developments. No one would ever be able to relate to him, and no one would ever share the same happiness and sadness that the boy would experience. It seems Aladdin had already realized the implications of his singularity.

"Are you certain this is your wish?" it was a redundant question by the blue giant; he himself realized this was a wonderful gift for the little boy.

"Yup, I'm sure," Aladdin nodded his head and gave a cheerful expression that showed no hesitation. "I wish to meet someone that is like me; someone who is different from everyone else and alone. I'm not asking to make this person my friend, but if we could just meet, then I'm sure we'll be able to become friends without even realizing it. That way, the both of us will no longer need to feel alone!"

_This child…_ Ugo could not believe how benevolent Aladdin really was. His wish was anything but selfish, and looked to help another individual in the process. No matter whom this new individual would be, Ugo was certain that Aladdin would be able to befriend him from his compassion alone.

"Your wish will be granted then, Aladdin," a smile was plastered on Ugo's face as he gathered the necessary powers in the room. He called out to the home of souls, the flow of life, the power known as Rukh. When a life is born it moves within this flow and is guided along in what is known as fate. The Rukh is the force of the universe which controls all events and phenomena within it, and because of that, it will surely grant Aladdin's wish without fail.

Both Ugo and Aladdin continued to smile without constraint and passively looked towards the ceiling of the room where the Rukh danced in a joyous excitement. An immense force was being gathered and slowly entering the world; it was a foreign and unknown being. This entity was surely brought into this world by the Rukh's Guidance as being the one most suitable for Aladdin's wish. It seems the Rukh took the term 'different' too literally though as they appeared to have snatched someone from another dimension.

_Or perhaps… there will be something very special about our new friend._

* * *

In an open garden of the royal castle within the mighty Kou Empire, a fickle and attractive queen suddenly halts in her tracks and freezes to survey her surrounds.

Likewise, in the land of magic known as the country of Magnashutatt, an old and wise magician sits at his desk while reading over his books about the secrets of the world. His silent and focused concentration is abruptly disrupted.

And in the opposite side of the world in the Laem Empire, a young female that would often be mistaken for an angel sits upon her golden throne surrounded by her servants. A gasp escapes her mouth as a compelling force moves through her.

The thoughts of these three individuals resonate as they glance towards the disordered flow of the Rukh.

"Something is coming…"

"The flow of the Rukh is shifting!"

"In the eastern lands, someone with great power has just been brought into this world…"

Fate works in the strangest ways, and as a new individual finds his place in this unknown world, the flow of life ventures down a mysterious route.

** [Prologue End]**

This is my side scribble, or maybe it'll become another main-scribble along with my other story depending on whether everything works out. After reading over what my Beta-reader had suggested about my other story, I concluded that he was completely right. So once I get the motivation to change some things up, I'll post it up. In the meantime, enjoy my new interest!

Author Notes:

Here's my introduction to my second fanfiction where I throw Shirou into the Magi world. I originally wanted to name the story 'Magi Killer', but that wouldn't work for this story despite it being a brilliant name lol. Not really much else to say as this is only the prologue, but I'll throw in some information.

This is UBW Shirou which somehow achieves a similar ending to Archer. I was actually trying not to use Shirou as the protagonist again, but I couldn't think of anyone else that fits the bill. Also, a certain physical characteristic of Shirou is too irresistible to not use.

*Remade a bit of the last portion of the prologue based on the ideas of a couple reviews.

Because this is a completely new idea of mine, feel free to drop in any kinds of ideas and suggestions! I have a rough plot sketched out already, but I'm welcome to changes if it follows along what I'm planning. So please leave a review about what you like/hate so far. Next chapter will be posted in a very short amount of time.

See you soon,

Cheers!


	2. The Naive Princess

**[Labyrinth of Fate; Chapter 1]**

It was midday and the rays of the sun permeated the sandy grounds below. Not a single cloud was in sight which left the unfortunate ones on the ground at the full mercy of the scorching heat. This was certainly an intolerable environment, and for someone accustomed to a life in the city, this was the last place they would want to spend their afternoon in.

"Princess, would you like me to fan you?"

Two individuals were sitting within a luxurious carriage that was slowly being pulled across a seemingly vast desert by two large camels and their driver. A couple hours had already gone by since they embarked across the desert, and besides the rhythmic trots of the camels which shook the carriage, it was relatively silent. The one who once again broke the spell of muteness was a tall man dressed in flashy and colorful attire that much resembled the clothes a priest would wear. He had black droopy hair that hung down which also matched his lazy looking eyes, and his most distinguishable feature were the markings below his eyes.

His name was Koubun Ka, a trustworthy servant of the Kou Empire. Despite his cold personality towards those he was not familiar with, he was exceptionally caring of those he served.

"I can do it myself, I don't need my assistant to do that," answered the other passenger in the carriage.

If one were to describe her personality, willful and stubborn would be common characteristics given to her. She was a young woman, not yet an adult at the age of sixteen, but nonetheless already quite the beauty. Extraordinary auburn eyes, cherry-red lips and milky colored skin; these facial qualities were fine enough to leave most ordinary men breathless. Her dark pink and luscious hair was pinned up with an extravagant golden hair stick which coordinated with her long, elegant gold and pink dress. With just one look, there was no doubt she was royalty.

"That isn't right, princess," Koubun said with a slightly displeased attitude. "You are Kougyoku Ren, the eighth imperial princess of the largest empire of the current era, the Kou Empire. It's my duty as your personal assistant to spoil you. Whether it be fanning you, cooking your dinner, kissing your shoes, or even washing your undergarments, I'll do them all with extreme satisfaction."

"Urgh, you disgust me, pervert," Kougyoku replied with a contorted expression and edged further away from her assistant.

The man had been attending to Kougyoku since she was a child, so their relationship was quite close despite the clear difference in status. If this was their first meeting, and her servant had the audacity to say such a thing, there would've been a fist implanted right into the center of their face. Of course, Kougyoku understood that this was Koubun's attempt to lighten the mood as they endured their tiring travels.

Koubun smiled mischievously as he pulled out a map from the inside of his robe and unraveled the paper.

"We should be arriving at our destination shortly, I'm sure Master Judal is already waiting," Koubun explained while looking over the map. "If we're lucky, we should capture the dungeon by the end of the day which gives you the opportunity for a much needed rest before we head back to the capital."

Dungeon Capturer, it was a term that applies to individuals who had enough power to clear a dungeon, and thus reap its rewards. Thirteen years ago, colossal buildings erupted from the ground in random locations throughout the world without warning. People had gone in and were shocked to discover treasures from ancient dynasties that were believed to be lost across time. The treasures consisted of incredible items; diamond crowns, sapphire thrones, golden palaces and other unimaginable artefacts. Eventually people had coined these buildings as 'dungeons'.

Kougyoku had always dreamed that she would one day acquire the chance to become one of the few individuals who could be deemed as a Dungeon Capturer. Some of her older brothers and sisters have already completed the task, and are now heralded as heroic warriors. Not only was there a large monetary sum that was attained from clearing the dungeon, but a much greater item was obtained. Something that would have Kougyoku's family and the people of the Kou Empire recognize her as something more than some pathetic child.

"I'll get that Metal Vessel no matter what," Kougyoku stated with determination as she firmly clenched her fists.

When one captures a dungeon, they also seize the power of the one who controls the dungeon through an object known as a 'Metal Vessel'. The masters of a dungeon are an artificial being created by the Rukh known as Djinn. They rule over their respective dungeons; living in them, altering them and even changing the difficulty required to complete them. It's believed that the number and strength of the individuals that enter a dungeon dictate the shape of the dungeon itself. For this reason, only two individuals would accompany Kougyoku in her quest; her assistant Koubun and the man known as Judal.

However, Kougyoku did not know much about the man named Judal, except for the fact that he was a Magi. Magi are magicians who can shape the world with their ability to control the world's Rukh. This grants the user impeccable power because of their ability to manipulate Rukh, and thus convert it into magical power, Magoi. With his capabilities as a Magi, Judal has helped other members of the royal family capture dungeons across the land. He was a mysterious individual who mostly kept to himself and rarely interacted with those around him. Though he appeared cruel and arrogant at times, it was because of him that Kougyoku was given the chance to become a Dungeon Capturer. She respected and owed Judal for giving her an opportunity to prove her worth to the Kou Empire.

All her life, Kougyoku had been ridiculed and abused because she was a bastard child. Despite her attempts to rise to an equal rank with her siblings, it never once made a difference because half of her blood belonged to her prostitute mother.

"It'll be different from now on…" Kougyoku whispered beneath her breath with a sense of vigor.

"—!" A gasp escaped from both Kougykou and Koubun as the carriage suddenly came to a halt.

Both of them immediately raced to the front where the driver was seated.

"Hey! What was that about," Kougyoku questioned the driver angrily.

"W-w-we're…" the driver sounded petrified from fear.

"Speak clearly!" Koubun insisted worriedly after noticing something was not right.

Without waiting for an answer, Kougyoku slipped outside the entrance and saw for herself what the commotion was about.

"We're surrounded by thieves!" the driver cried out with a shriek.

"H-how can this be…?" Koubun faltered as he looked towards the outside. "There was previously not a single report of thieves in this area. They don't even appear to be civilians of the Kou Empire!"

The desert between the capital and their destination was still within the territory of the Kou Empire; could they have come from beyond the border and escape detection? The Kou Empire was after all the largest empire in this new age and stretched across a massive amount of land. It wouldn't be far-fetched to think that thieves from out of the country could make it past the border patrols. Such misfortune, to think that Kougyoku would be exposed to thieves when there were no guards around to help her.

Because of Kougyoku's position as the eighth imperial princess, there was quite a dispute that occurred prior to leaving for the dungeon. Questions were asked such as:

"_Why is Kougyoku given the chance to become a Dungeon Capturer before the other members of the family?" _

"_Why is a bastard child even being considered at all?"_

As a result, no escorts were given to Kougyoku in her journey to the dungeon. All materials and supplies were gathered by Kougyoku and Koubun without the help of anyone else, and because of that, they were now surrounded by thieves to fend off by themselves as well.

Their numbers were quite high for a band of thieves; ten of them were on camels and approximately another ten followed from behind on foot. They appeared to be quite tolerant of the environment, which hinted at their origins. Another clue was their clothes that were quite distinctive from the ones worn by locals of the Kou Empire. Most of them wore a plain white robe and a keffiyeh to protect their skin against the burning sun. It was common attire for the people of the Oasis City, Qishan, but to think they would travel this far out for their misconducts…

The sounds of swords being drawn signaled their obvious intentions. They grimaced menacingly as they looked towards the carriage, and after seeing Kougyoku, another vile objective was added to their list. Drool seeped from some of their mouths as they licked their lips in a perverse manner. Upon seeing this, Kougyoku slightly shrank back and grasped the sleeves of Koubun.

"Koubun! H-how did this happen? Kougyoku asked tensely as her hands quivered.

"Driver… I'm going to step out to deal with them," Koubun exclaimed to the frozen driver who looked like he'd shatter with a light touch. "The moment you see an opening, I want you to race full speed with the princess towards the planned area."

"Y-yes sir…" the driver weakly moaned.

"Koubun! There's no way you'll come out of this alive!" Kougyoku was now shouting loudly as her nerves were getting to her.

"I can't help it; this is my duty as your assistant…" Koubun replied hesitantly.

"I-if you think I'm the kind of person to leave their subordinate to die, then you obviously don't know me!" Kougyoku lashed out towards Koubun; her stubbornness was admirable, but it clearly led her to dangerous situations at times.

Kougyoku was frightened; the lustful eyes of the thieves spoke about what would happen if they succeeded in capturing her. But this no longer mattered to her when she saw the sweat dripping down from Koubun's forehead, as well as the blood coming out of his palm due to how hard he was clenching his fists. It was times like these where Kougyoku could verify her existence to those she cared about. After all, if she couldn't even protect her friends and family, how could stand in front of the nation as a princess? Even if she would lose her life to a bunch of low-life thieves… at least she would die in a way she believed was righteous.

"P-princess… please remain in the carriage—!" Koubun's voice trailed off into a screech as he witnessed the unexpected.

Kougyoku had grasped her weapon and bounded out of the carriage to face-off against the mob of thieves. She was confident in her combat abilities, and was certain she could handle any of these men in a one on one confrontation. The problem was how long she could last against twenty passion driven thieves.

"Miss, put down that weapon, you'll injure yourself!" a stout older man laughed out and was soon joined by his comrades.

It was probably a peculiar sight, seeing a young lady carry a two-handed sword that was almost the same height.

Without any traces of fear left, she brandished her sword towards the group of thieves.

"Leave this area at once or face the consequences!" Kougyoku announced with authority towards the now stunned men.

A small gust of wind blew across the desert; it would've been perfect if a tumbleweed came rolling between Kougyoku and the thieves.

"What a funny girl! Hahah!" once again, the band of thieves exploded in a racket of laughter.

"Everyone stand back!" the older man from before marched forward with a scimitar in hand. "Let me show you how cruel the real world actually is—!"

The man suddenly broke out into a full headlong charge and swung his blade from an overhead position. It was an unrefined movement lacking any grace and would be predictable to any warrior with minimal training.

Kougyoku angled her blade upwards and easily parried the small blade the man was waving around. With a swift circular motion, she brought her own blade back down towards the torso of the man. Cold steel met with fabric and flesh uninterrupted as the sword made a deep slash across the man's body. Blood gushed out of his wound and he dropped his weapon to apply pressure with both his hands to it.

It was supposed to be an intimidation tactic; she was expecting some of the members to waver, and some to feel anger over the injury inflicted on their companion…

"Are you kidding me!? A young girl injured you!" the band of thieves openly mocked the bleeding man who was inches away from death. Tears could be seen coming out of some of their eyes as they gawked and pointed at their new source of entertainment.

"W-what?" an unanticipated reaction left Kougyoku bewildered.

"We're not dealing with normal people," Koubun had gotten off the carriage and stood beside the confused Kougyoku. "These criminals have unquestionably killed others just for the sake of killing them. They're fighting for their own selfish desires, not for each other."

A simple dagger was gripped in Koubun's hand which was drenched in sweat. He was still noticeably shaken, but it was much better than before. Koubun had practiced the art of using the dagger, and though he was still quite the amateur, it would not lose to the nonexistent style of these thieves.

"Hey lad!" one of the thieves called out to Koubun. "Give us your carriage and the lady beside you and we might let you live."

"G-go to hell you savages!" Koubun answered without any qualms and pointed the tip of his dagger towards the thief. "L-lay one finger on her and I'll kill you!"

In Kougyoku's mind, Koubun had always been a little timid and physically weaker than others. So seeing this sight before her now put a smile onto her face despite the situation she was in.

"Thank you, Koubun…" she whispered loudly enough so her assistant could hear.

"Princess…" Koubun murmured. "We can't let ourselves be surrounded, so on the count of three, we'll break through their formation directly left from us and then run towards the nearest city beside the dungeon. I've already explained it to the driver, the moment they chase after us, he'll race forward and meet us."

Looking towards their left, there were only two men standing side by side, followed by a large gap. It was without doubt that this was the weakest point in which they could aim for. Tactics and strategies was one of Koubun's fortes, it was one of the reasons why he had gained the position as Kougyoku's assistant from once being a child of the slums.

Kougyoku nodded her head in agreement.

"One."

"Then you can die trying to be a hero! Hah!" the thieves readied themselves.

"Two."

They casually motioned towards the carriage.

"Three!"

Kougyoku and Koubun bolted for the left while kicking up a storm of sand from the speed they took off at. Even with the massive sword weighing her down, Kougyoku sprinted for the men on the left before they could react.

"They're fast!" the thieves behind them shouted out as they struggled to keep up.

Kougyoku's two-handed sword immediately impaled through one of the men standing in her way, and she quickly drew back the sword to continue running. To her side, Koubun had disposed of the other man by hastily puncturing the man's carotid artery.

Blood splashed the pale desert ground as the two ran for their lives without looking back. The borders of the city shouldn't be further than twenty minutes away at their top running speed. If they could somehow manage evading the thieves, and pick them off one by one, then it could be possible to reach the city with their lives.

But nothing ever goes as planned.

Koubun realized it was a futile attempt to outrun these thieves who were accustomed to these harsh surroundings, and even Kougyoku knew that for this plan to work, a miracle was required. If anything, this would only delay the inevitable.

The men on camels quickly sped ahead of the two of them, and blocked their advance. Koubun promptly grabbed Kougyoku's hand and dashed towards the right where an opening should've still been available.

As if predicting their movements, the foot warriors suddenly covered their escape route. Kougyoku sharply spun around and scanned the area for any possible way of eluding the enemy, but before they knew it, they had already been besieged on all sides. This group of thieves were more organized than their impressions gave.

"Hey now, you can't just go and kill our friends like that," scoffed one of the men. "We'll have to punish you in return, isn't that right miss?"

Their disgusting voices once again reached the ears of Kougyoku as she trembled slightly at their lecherous eyes. Looking back towards the carriage, Kougyoku noticed the helpless sight of the driver. He was being held up by a knife ready to slit his throat at any moment.

Tears began welling up in Kougyoku's eyes as she glared back towards her enemies around her. Her shoulders shook and her knees felt like buckling underneath her.

"E-everything will be okay, princess," Koubun tried consoling her with his own terrified voice.

"That's right…" Kougyoku said in a dispirited tone. "Koubun, we'll have to try charging through their flanks again and back towards the direction of our carriage."

"Get them!" this time, the thieves stormed towards them before they started running.

Kougyoku and Koubun reacted in an instant and scurried in the opposite direction of the men on camels. A wall of men carrying one-handed swords and knives obstructed their way escape.

There was no other choice, the two of them had to break through or they would be killed. Kougyoku and Koubun assaulted them impulsively without slowing down.

However, the thieves realized that these were two strong individuals that they would never have the chance of beating in a fair fight. So they fought in a way they were quite adept and experienced at.

"KOUGYOKU!"

"Let go of me!" Kougyoku screamed with all her might as she resisted against the men who were twice her size.

The men standing in Koubun's way had leapt to the side before crossing weapons, and instead they surrounded Kougyoku and apprehended her. Five men were needed to stop her assault on the thief that had managed to deflect her sword without sustaining an injury. They held onto her arms and disarmed her of her weapon, and they also restricted her legs to prevent her from thrashing about.

"Let go of her you bastards!" Koubun raised his dagger and rushed forward.

"I wouldn't come any closer if I were you," one of the thieves raised his blade towards Kougyoku's smooth and pale neck.

"You cowards…" Koubun halted in place and gritted his teeth to the point where it was strange that they didn't break.

Slowly, the rest of the thieves gathered and smiled smugly over their underhanded victory.

"Drop your weapon," one of the thieves sternly said.

"Koubun don't!" Kougyoku screamed in a panic. At this point, tears streamed down her distressed face. "Please, just try to run away without me!"

"Shut up—!" a fist had suddenly impacted into the Kougyoku's stomach and she coughed out in pain.

"Now that I look at her closely, she's quite the young beauty isn't she?" the same man drew his knife, and brought it to the top of Kougyoku's dress.

And then, he slowly severed the threads that kept the dress together all the way down to her stomach. The cloth covering her chest was split open, and revealed her soft and innocent looking skin beneath. Lewd expressions were donned on the faces of the thieves as they grinned and sneered at Kougyoku's attractive white skin devoid of any blemishes.

"No… no… don't," Kougyoku lost all power in her voice.

The sound of something solid implanting itself into the ground was heard and Kougyoku slowly raised her head to look.

A dagger was buried into the sand a few meters away from Koubun who was now kneeling on the ground with his head hung.

"Hahah, what an idiot!" the thieves snorted and looked back towards Kougyoku. "Kill him, and then we'll undress the girl."

_This wasn't supposed to happen; I haven't even achieved anything yet._

Kougyoku's mind raced and her heart felt like it would burst from her chest. She had worked so diligently and earnestly for the past decade of her life; she wanted to prove to everyone that even though she had the blood of a prostitute in her, she could still become someone great. Her mother had never lived the life she had deserved, despite the fact that she was the most loving and caring person Kougyoku had ever known. Kougyoku wanted to prove the world that her mother was able to give birth to someone great, and that lineage determined nothing.

Rough hands tore and tugged away at her ruined dress while a few men walked forward with their weapons drawn towards Koubun.

Her entire life had been worthless, and yet she still continued fighting for that bleak dream. Was this the reason she had been born? To be raised as a dirty and ill-treated child only to be later violated and killed by the hands of thieves?

"S-stop it…" Kougyoku weakly pleaded with a face drenched with tears. She was always a proud individual who had always fought to find her place in this wold, but now, she was helpless against fate.

_It can't end this way… This cannot be my fate…_

Time seemed to stop as a sinister and dark power amassed within her soul. It felt to her as though the light was being consumed by this new darkness. Her vision began to cloud with the sight of black butterflies swarming the area, so she closed her eyes to escape the terrible scene before her.

"_**dO yOu CuRsE yOuR dEsTiNy?**_"

Kougyoku was a bastard child and she was often condemned by high ranking officials and the legitimate children of the king of the Kou Empire. Her mother had died from an illness when she was still a child, leaving her all alone to fend for herself. It was rare to find any sort of comfort from those around her, because the more she tried to get closer, the more they pushed her away. She was tortured, ridiculed, abused, frightened, miserable, angry, lonely, and she had never belonged.

It would've been simple to just say yes; it appeared perfectly reasonable after all the tragic experiences Kougyoku had faced throughout her life, but even so…

_That's right, what am I thinking…? Despite the emptiness of my life, I will never curse my destiny._

To reject her destiny was to reject everything she had lived for thus far. To reject her destiny was to reject everything her mother had given her.

These thieves may take the life of Kougyoku, but they would never corrupt her soul.

_I'm sorry mother; I couldn't become someone that would make you proud_.

An image of her mother suddenly manifested within her mind. Kougyoku's mother looked just like how she always imagined her; kind, beautiful, and loving. Kougyoku tried reaching out to touch her mother, but no matter how hard she tried, she never got closer.

_I'll be reunited with you soon, mother…_

Her mother smiled compassionately, but instead of welcoming Kougyoku to her side, she did the complete opposite.

She waved goodbye.

…

The darkness vanished without a trace, but so did the grip of the men who had restrained her.

Cautiously, she slowly opened her eyes in fear of seeing Koubun lifeless body.

Her assistant still remained in the same kneeling position as when Kougyoku last saw him. There was a complete change in him though; instead of his hopeless and fearful expression, it was replaced with one you'd expect of someone who just witnessed a miracle.

Kougyoku briskly began examining the situation and searched the area around her. She couldn't even comprehend what had just happened as she tried assessing her situation.

The thieves who were just moments ago holding her down had all been impaled by different and unique long swords. Each sword had accurately pinpointed the lethal areas of the men, giving them an instant and fatal death. Blood was becoming a common sight for Kougyoku as it continued spouting out of the five men who previously detained her.

Her other senses seemed to have been coming back gradually, because as she motionless stood surrounded by the dead bodies, she heard the pitiful screams of the remaining thieves.

"GET AWAY!"

"THE FANALIS HAS FOUND US!"

"HE FOLLOWED US!?"

"Please spare my life! I had nothing to do with them!"

"I'll do anything, I'll become your slave, please don't kill me—!"

Terrified cries and pleads for mercy was all Kougyoku could hear. At this point her muscle coordination had been recovered and she turned her body to face the commotion.

It was an unexplainable scenario. Kougyoku was sure she had not 'lost consciousness' for more than a minute, but within that short frame of time, the seventeen able members of the thieves were cut down to a mere five.

A new individual had also entered the scene. He was taller than Koubun, who was already above average in height, and was wearing a long brown cloak which concealed his body from head to toe. From the little skin he flashed with each of his movements, it was certain that this man was very conditioned and had a very muscular body stature.

The man wielded two elegant looking blades; one which seemed to absorb all light within its vicinity, and another which dazzled gloriously underneath the blazing sun. Due to its distinguishing shape and form, it wouldn't have been odd to think that they were forged within the Kou Empire. Finally, what struck Kougyoku most was the powerful looking red hair that could be spotted underneath his flimsy cloak.

"Fanalis…" Kougyoku said out loud.

Two key features of the Fanalis race were their red hair and red eyes. The Fanalis were humans from a hunting tribe native to the Continent of Darkness. Their physical strength far exceeded that which normal humans could obtain. They were rumored to be capable of reducing the mightiest of beast to a whimpering and pitiful pet. Though the Fanalis race was a power to be reckoned with, their numbers dwindled after being hunted down for slavery. Their small numbers were not enough to fight off the greed of mankind, and because of that, it was quite rare to see a Fanalis anywhere other than the property of nobility as slaves.

Kougyoku vigilantly continued watching the Fanalis' actions as she reached down for her weapon she had previously dropped.

"What do you want!? Land, money, women!? We'll give you it all!" one of the thieves was reduced to a crying mess as he begged on his knees. He wasn't the only one, as his remaining comrades joined in with his desperate and shameful begging.

"That's not what I want," the Fanalis answered in a cold and harsh tone. His expression could not be seen from Kougyoku's angle, but it was no doubt a horrifying one based on the reactions of the thieves.

"Why are you chasing us then!?" the thieves were getting more restless and fearful as the Fanalis suddenly took a step forward towards them. The pungent and nauseating smell of urine was now prevalent throughout the air.

"Three days ago, your band of thieves massacred a small rural village… Men, women, children they were all killed by your wretched hands," the Fanalis was shaking; it felt like the air around him could tear a piece of steel to shreds with just its force. "And for what reason were they killed? I've been tracking your group for the past couple days after our last engagement and all I've seen your group do was visit brothels and engorge yourselves in luxurious foods. You're telling me innocent victims were killed just too briefly satisfy your desires?"

Not a single sound was heard from the five men who prostrated themselves in front of the Fanalis.

"ANSWER ME!"

"W-w-we're sorry!" they all squealed. They were nothing more than little rodents now. "We'll never do it again, we swear on our lives!"

"You've executed many innocent lives in cold-blood; do you actually believe you deserve my pity?" the man asked a question that the thieves could not answer. Answering 'yes' would incite the man's wrath, but answering 'no' would basically be the same as forfeiting their lives

"…" an obvious answer by the thieves.

However, the Fanalis did not appear phased by the thieves' lack of response. Instead he relaxed his shoulders, and drew in a long and deep breath.

"I'm not certain what the law is for criminals who have committed atrocious crimes, but I hope they punish you accordingly," the Fanalis unsympathetically announced.

"You mean you'll let us live?" they asked in shock.

A long and exasperated sigh escaped from the Fanalis' mouth as if to try and calm him down. There was still a deadly aura circulating around him that seemed to long for the death of the thieves, but it seemed like his willpower was enough to suppress his murderous cravings.

"I'll let the officials of the nearby city decide the course of action to take. I'd rather not kill if necessary," the Fanalis surprisingly said. "Your other comrades made the mistake of trying to attack me or taking hostages. Stay there, and do not move until I say so."

The Fanalis suddenly turned his heels on the thieves, and left them to quarrel and converse amongst themselves. His strides were long and he motioned towards Kougyoku and Koubun, who had stood beside her without her noticing. As he walked towards them, his torn and dirty cloak billowed behind; looking at him now, his appearance gave off the impression of a spectre of death.

Reacting to the approaching figure, the nervous Koubun had stepped in front of Kougyoku with his dagger positioned for combat. Strangely enough, Kougyoku had not felt a single drop of fear as the man drew closer and closer. She reached for Koubun's shoulder, and pulled him back to indicate that she would deal with the Fanalis. They shouldn't be showing that they were willing to fight, after all, what chances did they have against a man that could easily dispose of more than a dozen thieves?

A distance of five meters separated Kougyoku and the Fanalis as he finally stopped approaching. He raised his two blades up into the air and threw each of them into the ground to his side. For someone who had so much power, he seemed awfully sensitive to those he wasn't trying to kill.

"Are you two alright?" the Fanalis asked in a gentle and soft voice.

"A-ahh, y-yes!" it completely caught Kougyoku off-guard. "Thank you for your assistance."

"Not a problem," he replied in a seemingly embarrassed manner as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

At this instant, Kougyoku's cheeks began blushing deeply in a light pink hue as she brought up her sleeves in an attempt to hide it from the man standing in front of her. It was a habit of Kougyoku to conceal herself whenever she was ashamed by the reddening of her face. She fought so hard to maintain a sophisticated composure, but standing before this man and seeing him like this had somehow taken down all her defenses.

An awkward silence enveloped the both of them as the man seemed to watch Kougyoku's odd behavior. With no other choice, Kougyoku had to rely on her emergency solution to regain a decent poise to face the man in front of her. She brought both the palms of her hands a few inches away from her cheeks, and gave herself a couple of quick firm slaps. It was a technique she had developed herself in case of situations like the one she was in now. In order to concentrate on something other than her embarrassment, she could deceive her own mind by inducing pain! It was quite ingenious.

A sigh could be heard from Koubun as Kougyoku completed her method.

"Is something the matter?" the Fanalis had asked after observing another bizarre sight.

"Nothing's wrong!" Kougyoku had replied in a shout. She had to find a new topic, fast. "Why did you save us from those thieves?"

"There was no way I could ignore something like that," the Fanalis answered in a confident voice that was filled with a sense of fulfilment. "I'm just glad I was able to make it on time and save the two of you before something terrible happened."

"Ahh…" the wonderful words that came out of the man's mouth had left Kougyoku temporarily at a loss for words. "No words could ever express how thankful I am."

Did this man know the identity of Kougyoku and was just flattering her? Was this why he was acting so prim and proper in front of her? Such questions continued bombarding Kougyoku as she tried figuring out the Fanalis' intents. It was unlikely the man had a lot of money judging by his broken down cloak he was donning. If he was looking for money, then he definitely deserved it now.

"You don't have to thank me… Since I must apologize for everything," the Fanalis slightly lowered his head to prove he was genuine in his words. "It might have been due to my negligence that this band of thieves travelled this far out into the desert."

"What do you mean?" Koubun asked in curiosity. When Koubun returns with Kougyoku to the capital, he would have to report this incident to his superiors. If he had evidence regarding how the thieves' presence was unpredictable, then he could avoid any harsh penalties.

"I have had previous encounters with these thieves, and each time they were able to flee because I had to attend to the injured before I could successfully deal with them," the Fanalis said emotionlessly. "I suspect because of my actions in tracking them, they eventually fled east into this territory."

"So that explains why they would venture out so far…" Koubun said with interest.

For what reason did the Fanalis track down the thieves? Did they kill someone he knew? Did they take something valuable of his? Was he some sort of mercenary hired to capture the thieves? Each question Kougyoku thought up, another two would suddenly follow. She was becoming overwhelmed by the many questions she had for the Fanalis, and she knew no idea where to start.

"I-I'm Kougyoku Ren, the eighth imperial princess of the Kou Empire," she finally settled with introducing herself.

"P-p-p-princess!" Koubun shouted out in dismay. "You shouldn't reveal your identity to strangers!"

"It's fine," Kougyoku nonchalantly waved off the warning. "And this man beside me is my assistant, Koubun Ka."

As Koubun's temper flared from the lack of care that Kougyoku had just exhibited, the Fanalis removed the hood of his cloak and revealed his face.

It belonged to a male that looked a little older than Kougyoku, but not yet a full grown adult. Looking at his face felt calming, even though it had given off a sense of solitude and a hardened life. It was a clean face that lacked any facial hair unlike the people to the west, and he had stunning golden-brown eyes.

A sudden dissonance of information was noticed by Kougyoku; the members of the Fanalis race were supposed to have red eyes to go along with their red hair. She wanted to ask him about this, but before she could, there was something else about his mysterious man.

He seemed to be fiercely glaring at the both of them with his captivating eyes. Kougyoku had suddenly stiffened upon realizing this.

"You're from the royal family of the Kou Empire?" the gentle demeanour had shifted to the menacing one he had previously shown to the thieves.

"Y-yes I am…" Kougyoku should've been used to being in the presence of powerful individuals, but the pressure exerted by this man in front of her was quite uncomfortable.

"Is that so…" the man said with annoyance, and then weirdly enough, began taking off his cloak.

"W-what are you doing!?" Kougyoku stuttered after witnessing the man undress in front of her.

Luckily, the man was still covered underneath his cloak by a unique and lustrous suit. It was sleeveless, and appeared to be made of a durable type of leather that tightly hugged his impressive physique.

After removing his cloak, the man tossed it over to the muddled Kougyoku.

"I would actually like to avoid associating myself with your kind," the man stated as he moved to collect his two blades lodged in the sand. "But that won't stop me from asking you to cover yourself up."

Seconds passed as Kougyoku tried piecing together what the man meant. She looked at the torn and old cloak she had grabbed in the air, and then down at herself. It was only now that she remembered… Her dress had been split right down the middle.

"Koubun! Why didn't you tell me!?" a flustered Kougyoku screamed at her assistant with a blushed face, and clumsily covered herself with her newly acquired piece of fabric.

"I completely forgot myself…" Koubun said apologetically.

Kougyoku prayed to god that the man hadn't seen anything he wasn't supposed to, or else Kougyoku would have surely been ruined for marriage… This was beside the point; the other thing the man said had deeply troubled her. Although she could die from embarrassment at the moment, she looked back towards the man.

"S-sorry, but could you repeat and explain what you said in the beginning? I think I'm misunderstanding something," Kougyoku addressed the man while rolling up the excessively long sleeves of the cloak.

With piercing imperturbable eyes, the man gazed directly into Kougyoku's eyes. She couldn't help but glance down in discomfiture to avoid the man's formidable look.

"To put it simply…" the man said in a calm but threatening voice. "Just looking at your face pisses me off."

…

"W-w-w-what!?" Kougyoku stammered in a mix of confusion and irritation. She was not certain what Koubun's reaction was, but it was probably similar to her own. "You you you you—! How could you say such a thing!?"

That was definitely the rudest statement a random stranger had ever told her. Sure, those in the palace have said some nasty things that were on a different level, but this was the first time she was so utterly offended by the words of someone she had just met. Kougyoku was never known to back down from an argument, and she sure as hell was not going to let this man get away with ridiculing her like this. With her fists firmly planted against her sides, Kougyoku continued shouting towards the red-haired man as he spun around and began walking away.

"You you you idiot—! You piss me off too!" she shouted whatever came to mind, which wasn't much.

"My name isn't 'you' or 'idiot'," the man lifted one of his hands holding a sword and gestured his farewell. "My name is Shirou Emiya."

And with that, he moved towards the kneeling thieves and ordered them to move towards the direction of the nearest city.

Meanwhile, Kougyoku and Koubun silently watched as the man named Shirou vanished into the distance.

**[Chapter 1 End]**

Author Notes:

I hope you enjoyed the first real chapter of my new fanfic. The biggest problem I had with my previous story was that there were little differences from the canon storyline. So this is my solution to fix this problem; put Shirou in an area that is not really covered in the manga.

This takes place a year before the start of the manga timeline, and starts at the point where Kougyoku gets her metal vessel from the Vinea Dungeon. From that one frame in the manga where Kougyoku was shown in the dungeon, she appeared relatively similar to her current age in the manga, so my guess is that she acquired her metal vessel not too long ago.

Reviewer Comments:

Condor green: Thanks so much for keeping up with my works, your reviews are always pleasing to read. I randomly lost motivation in writing Hero's Tail; it might be because I'm waiting for more chapters of Fairy Tail to be released before I read them all in bulk. But anyway, seriously, thanks so much.

Guest: Ahh, I wasn't trying to imply that UBW Shirou and Archer fused; very bad wording on my part. When you say 'don't sound like Shirou', I'm hoping you're talking about how he described the villagers as vile and disgusting, because that's what I was going for. It's not really a spoiler so I'll say it, but it's very similar to what happened to the civilians in the Balbadd arc in Magi. A HUGE thanks for talking about the Rukh and fate; I thought up a better reason for bringing Shirou into the Magi world. The next chapter of Hero's Tail will probably be posted soon.

Oz Zaber: I followed your suggestion, but it's basically a cop out of that scene where Sinbad was born into the world. Yup, I'm looking at the demon lords to see which ones will fit in my story. This Shirou will be relatively powerful, but there is room for improvement. Also another BIG thanks for talking about the Rukh. Shirou's distortion is not rejecting fate, but instead I see it is bending fate and altering it; seems similar to the Solomon's Wisdom doesn't it? I'll talk about this in future chapters.

Michelous: Nasu made very detailed characters didn't he? Thank you Nasu for giving us such great characters.

Silver Winged King: I was wondering why Magi doesn't have many crossovers… strange.

Ultima-owner: As always… sigh….

JinzoMask656: Magician huh? Would you recommend it? I'm sad to say, but I was thrown off by the art lol. Hero's Tail is not really on hiatus… actually I don't even know, but the next chapter will be up soon!

Well, that's what I got so far, look forward to the next chapter! Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it. Reviews are always welcome!

Till next time,

Cheers.


	3. The Princess and the Knight

**[Labyrinth of Fate; Chapter 2]**

It might've been the stress induced by the expectations of those back home, the all-encompassing sun, the sight of nothing but sweltering sands for hours, or the attempted raid by the thieves that had clearly set Kougyoku in an irritated mood. No, it was obviously none of the above, and Kougyoku was certain of it. The reason for her animosity at this moment was all caused by that damn Fanalis.

She had to admit, at first she had felt quite entranced by the man; after all, wasn't the scenario something you would see straight out of a poorly scripted romance play? It was every girl's dream to have their prince in shining white armor suddenly come to their rescue at the last moment and whisk them off their feet. Sure the man had been wearing a worn-out and cheap cloak, which Kougyoku was currently in the possession of, but he was tall, quite handsome, and had all the attributes of a prince that Kougyoku never believed to exist!

That was until he suddenly went into full antagonistic mode, and verbally attacked Kougyoku for no apparent reason. This had occurred because Kougyoku had mentioned her status within the Kou Empire as the eighth imperial princess; did he have some sort of grudge towards the royal family? If this were the case, then this was definitely a bad situation. The Fanalis was strong, there was no doubt about that, and if he were to be a part of some rebel group, then that could lead to some big problems.

A Fanalis seeking revenge against the royal family of the Kou Empire based on some sort of past conflict. Perhaps he was enslaved by some noble, and recently escaped in order to plan some sort of rebellion against the empire. He's a dangerous threat to the stability and safety of the country!

But wait, if he were a dangerous person, then why did he chase down the thieves? Actually, why did he let Kougyoku live after discovering her identity? Was this Fanalis a rebel plotting to overthrow the royal family, or was he some sort of rogue hero that despised the royal family for some unknown reason?

The more Kougyoku attempted to solve the puzzle with the little information she had, the more frustrated she had gotten.

"Shirou Emiya..." Kougyoku gritted her teeth with great force. "If I ever see you again... I swear..."

She had continually cursed and mumbled threats about the Fanalis throughout the rest of the journey towards the dungeon. Kougyoku and Koubun resumed their journey within the same carriage, but the number of camels had drastically increased from two to a whooping twelve. Koubun had rewarded the driver the camels belonging the thieves as a way to apologize for their unexpected guests.

After almost an hour of conversing with the city patrols and describing the situation that had just occurred outside their city with the thieves, Kougyoku and company was finally able to enter.

They were now within the city where the dungeon was located, and were a few minutes away from their destination.

"Princess..." Koubun said in a worried voice. "Grinding your teeth together and furrowing your eyebrows will lead to imperfections on your face."

"I can't help it!" Kougyoku replied with a shout. "That man insulted me, a princess of the Kou Empire!"

"Well, he did save our lives," Koubun said as if he were lecturing a child. "Maybe we should just let it slide this time."

"Unforgivable!" Kougyoku stammered and pouted her cheeks while crossing her arms together. "To think I was fond of him at first..."

"I'm sorry, I couldn't hear you princess. What did you say?" Koubun asked in return after hearing Kougyoku mutter beneath her breath.

"Nothing!" Kougyoku immediately yelled in a flustered tone. "Anyhow, stop siding with the Fanalis! I won't forgive him no matter what and that's that."

Truth be told, Kougyoku was never really angry at the Fanalis. Instead, she was in reality very disappointed and deeply saddened by how their meeting played out. Her reasoning for the actions of the Fanalis were excuses she was trying to consider in order to see him in a better light. Of course, Kougyoku would never openly admit this to anyone; it was much too embarrassing.

Thinking about the Fanalis would have to wait for now, as Kougyoku stared out into the city.

Upon looking at the surroundings, it was a relatively small city compared to the likes of the capital, and seemed more like an area developed for the purpose of trade and business for travelling merchants. Numerous open stalls along the strip showcased their goods ranging from exotic foods from the west to dazzling swords and axes that shone brightly underneath the sun. There were people everywhere no matter where Kougyoku had looked; it was a very impressive city. One important aspect stuck out though; there was a lack of beggars or anyone who appeared to be homeless. For this small city, maybe it was possible that this was a tightly knit population that could help one another live. Different types of needed jobs could be filled by the small number of individuals, which would result in the absence of unemployment. Everyone was given something to do, and because of that, everyone had the opportunity to work.

Unlike in the bustling capital, jobs were hard to come by, and in many cases, individuals would have to resort to the extremes in order to live. Illegal sales, extortion, stealing, prostitution; these were prevalent in many areas of the capital where the deemed lower class had resided. They were not 'lower class' because of their inability to do work, but because of the lack of opportunity to do so. The misfortunate group of people could do nothing but beg and lay around miserably until a chance to change their life could be found. Rarely would anyone bat an eye towards these people who really needed help. This ill-fated collection of civilians lived in an area known as the slums. These were citizens who were abandoned by society and their own people. This was the life Kougyoku had once lived in with her mother.

Kougyoku's mother lived a pitiful life where she sold her body to men of all kinds in order to provide enough for Kougyoku to live appropriately. Even though their circumstances could not be described as anything other than dismal by others, the two of them still lived a happy life together. As a child, Kougyoku had realized she was a fortunate child of the slums compared to many others who were of similar age. Some had abusive parents that would sometimes release their frustrations on them; some did not have parents at all...

Those who were happy in the slums were very limited, and the majority were those who suffered and lived each day of their lives in fear of dying from such things that should not exist, such as from starvation. Kougyoku has seen the self-indulgence and gluttony of those in the upper classes of society; they excessively ate the most fabulous of foods, and would waste the necessities in life that those in the slums were missing. How could these people live such luxurious lives just because of their lineage while there were some who were dying on the streets outside of their homes?

It was an imbalance that Kougyoku had hoped to fix one day when she gained greater power. But for now, she was aiming smaller. By clearing the dungeon, Kougyoku was aiming to use the treasures she would acquire to 'eliminate' the slums she had grown up in by sharing what she had earned. After all, each person deserved as much happiness as the next person did. Whether it was someone of royalty or a simple blacksmith, everyone should have an equal chance to obtain happiness.

For the past couple of years, Kougyoku had regularly visited the slums of the capital where she had once lived and did everything in her power to help the people there. She would happily donate her accessories given to her as gifts as well as spontaneously help whatever families she would come across. This would include housework, buying ingredients, and cooking, which was done by Koubun.

Recently, before leaving for her expedition to the dungeon, she had spoken to some of the children she had gotten to know very well from occasionally helping out in their household.

_"Sister Kougyoku, you're going to go into one of those dungeons?" one of the children called out. Kougyoku had insisted for the children to not call her princess, and instead refer to her as sister. It felt more natural that way._

_"Just you wait! After I clear the dungeon, I'm coming back with loads of gifts!" Kougyoku smiled joyfully as she spoke with a group of children who usually sought her attention when she visited._

_"Really!? What kind of gifts, sister Kougyoku?" a boy with short-brown hair gaped in anticipation. From his open mouth, Kougyoku could see that he was missing both his baby front teeth._

_The other children also crowded around Kougyoku as they suddenly became very energetic at the mention of gifts._

_"Wonderful gifts! The greatest treasures of the world, and I'm giving it all to the people here in this area!" Kougyoku explained with pride. "Once I capture the dungeon, you will be able to enjoy healthy meals every day, you will be able to buy the newest toys and clothes, you will be able to live your life just like anyone else!"_

_"Do you honestly mean that, princess?" the nearby mother of the boy with missing teeth spoke out with a profound emotion. It was hope._

_"Yes! I promise I'll give everyone here an opportunity to start a new beginning!" Kougyoku answered with great joy._

_Seeing the happy faces around her was one of the greatest gifts Kougyoku could receive._

After a few minutes, they arrived in front of the dungeon. Koubun immediately exited the carriage, and proceeded to escort Kougyoku out as well. Once the both of them graciously thanked the carriage driver, the two of them began making their way towards the entrance. Koubun carried a small amount of supplies in which they believed would be needed in case of an emergency. This included a spare change of clothes, a couple of snacks and a lot of money; none of them had any idea what was really needed. Of course, the weapons that Kougyoku and Koubun had brought along were being carried by their own hands. As the approached the spectacular structure, Kougyoku noticed that it was very different from the other areas of the city in that there was not a single person in sight, except for one.

On top of the brazen stone steps that led to the entrance of the dungeon, a young male stood waiting with an expression that reflected his non-existent care for the rest of the world. As Kougyoku closed the distance between them, the man suddenly turned his attention towards her with an emotionless smile.

"Kougyoku!" the man spoke with familiarity. He was of average height with long braided dark blue hair that reached down to his lower back. A black choli and a white line of cloth draped around his shoulders covered his chest while exposing his midriff. His lower body clothing consisted of a black leg dress that reached down to his ankles, with no shoes. To top it all off, golden bangle bracelets and necklace revealed that he was no commoner. His skin was slightly tanned, and his eyes shone a crimson red. The young male had an attractive and kind appearance, but if one were to look deeper, there was a looming sense of darkness. "What took you so damn long? You're fortunate that I was spending my time glancing down at the miserable people and roaming the streets of this small city, or else I would've left this place a long time ago."

"I apologize, Judal, but we were interrupted by a group of bandits along our journey," Kougyoku replied to his insensitive question.

His cold demeanor and arrogant attitude was something Kougyoku had not appreciated, but Judal was the Magi and Oracle of the Kou Empire. There was no doubt that the empire valued this man much more than they did Kougyoku. So for now, there was nothing she could do but respectfully obey Judal.

"Is that so? Well I'm glad you're okay," Judal exclaimed while maintaining a fake smile that also displayed his false joy over Kougyoku's safety and well-being. "What's with those dirty clothes of yours?"

"Ahh, m-my other clothes were damaged in the scuffle with the thieves, I was given this cloak to use by an unknown man after dealing with the thieves," Kougyoku quickly replied while fidgeting about nervously.

"Okay then, well it doesn't matter to me," Judal nonchalantly said.

Kougyoku had not bothered to switch into a different set of clothes that she had previously packed. Instead, she was stilling donning the same dusty brown cloak the Fanalis had given her to cover up. It was the least Kougyoku could do, after all, what kind of princess could not appreciate the gifts given to her by those beneath her?

At least, that would be her cover up story if anyone had bothered looking further into it. Honestly, she was quite happy to receive this worn-out, torn, and unfashionable cloak from that man. It wouldn't be entirely inaccurate to say that Kougyoku rarely ever obtained gifts from anyone other than the clothes and accessories that the kingdom expected her to wear. So when she was suddenly given this item because the other party was being considerate of her, it was quite the difference in what Kougyoku had normally felt. Even though she parted with the man with bad blood between them, this was still a gift that she probably valued higher than her other articles of clothing

"I assume you're ready to enter the dungeon?" Judal said as if this was an everyday job for him.

"Master Judal, if I may," Koubun addressed Judal in a formal matter and stepped before him. "I understand how little time you have to spare, but would it be possible to grant Kougyoku a few minutes of rest?"

"Hmm?" Judal did not answer, but rather he glared sinisterly at Koubun.

It was said that Judal was not one who interacted amiably to those not from the royal family. Therefore, to someone who was just an assistant, Judal had probably felt like it'd be a waste of time to spare him an answer. Koubun appeared to begin faltering as he directed his eyes to the side to avoid the menacing looking of Judal. Even so, it didn't seem like Koubun had any intentions of backing down. Though Kougyoku was a little fatigued, she couldn't allow this to rocket out of control.

"I'm fine Koubun," Kougyoku immediately relieved Koubun from the foreboding gaze of Judal. "I am ready to enter the dungeon whenever."

"Then shall we proceed?" Judal had replied once it was Kougyoku talking.

"Yes, let's finish this quickly," Kougyoku nodded her head in agreement. They had already wasted too much time in reaching this dungeon; she wanted this to be done and over with as fast as possible.

Judal lazily approached the door of the dungeon as Kougyoku and Koubun followed suit from behind.

"Forgive my impertinence, Princess," Koubun apologized in a low voice. "I shouldn't have spoken to Master Judal."

"It's fine, I appreciated the concern," Kougyoku innocently forgave him. "For now, we should do whatever we can to have Judal accept us. That's all that matters."

It was a strange edifice with a very distinct architecture that was completely new to anyone. There was only one entrance leading into the dungeon, and from that entrance, an alluring light beckoned towards the outdoors. Great pillars stood on either sides of the door, as if welcoming in any visitors. Those who entered the dungeon should be prepared to risk their lives in their attempts to conquer it. Like many other gambles; the higher the risk, the greater the rewards. For Kougyoku to risk her own life to obtain the high stake treasures was something very appropriate in her mind.

"Welcome to the dungeon of Vinea, the Djinn of sorrow and isolation," Judal fully stretched out both his arms as he displayed an excited grin.

Light began enveloping the three individuals that readied themselves for the adventure that was about to come. Kougyoku immediately shut both her eyes after the flash of light had temporarily blinded her. She deeply inhaled and exhaled as she tried to calm herself for the implicated future she would have after becoming a Dungeon Capturer.

Though she couldn't see, she could feel her body becoming overwhelmed by a strange sensation. It was the feeling of being weightless and probably something similar to floating above the skies. As she opened her eyes, she was met with a spectacular scene. Her body was slowly drifting down a pillar of light that fused with what appeared to be another world. Unlike that of her own planet, this world she was being pulled into was completely covered by a dark layer of water. Nothing existed besides the water in which the light was bringing her into.

Ultimately, Kougyoku braced herself for the impact with the body of water as she drew exceptionally close. However, nothing besides the sense of being submerged underwater was received as her body sank further down. Kougyoku had felt the surroundings were tranquil and soothing, but something deeply ingrained in the dungeon's world was trying to infiltrate her mind. Somehow, Kougyoku knew it was the emotions and feelings of the master of the dungeon; something Kougyoku was very much accustomed to. They were the nightmares that haunted her everyday life.

In fear of being reminded of the torment that she had to live through, Kougyoku struggled to push herself back towards the surface. No matter how hard she fought to relieve herself from the sight of water, she could find no escape. Wherever she looked, only the sight of water were contained in her eyes; everything was the same and nothing ever changed. Her body remained motionless as she eventually allowed herself to be carried wherever the waters desired. And in this never-ending pool of water, Kougyoku was alone.

Perhaps this wasn't an image created by the master of the dungeon; maybe this was a reflection of Kougyoku's inner world.

The waters spoke to her and repeated the same words over and over. Hate and betrayal, these were two words that flawlessly described Kougyoku's perception of the real world. These were the words that isolated her from everybody else. As her body continued to sink further down the recessions of the water, she suddenly realized something. In this world of unlimited water, she had nobody.

Kougyoku silently wept.

"..yoku."

Her head began shaking, as a voice reached her ears.

"...ougyoku."

It was strange, seconds ago she was certain that she was within a relatively calm ocean of water, but now it felt like she was being thrashed about in the center of a whirlpool.

"Kougyoku!" the sound of Koubun calling her name suddenly loudly rang within her head.

With her consciousness back up and ready to go, she opened her eyes which were apparently closed and surveyed what the commotion was about.

Kougyoku's assistant had a firm grip on her shoulders and had been enthusiastically shaking her back and forth which resulted in her head bobbing all over the place. One problem solved.

"Stop that you idiot!" Kougyoku raised her left hand and shoved it right into the center of Koubun's worried-stricken face.

"P-p-princess!" after being launched a few meters back, Koubun's face had a small red imprint of Kougyoku's hand. Tears began welling up at the side of his eyes as he disregarded the pain that should've been left on his face. "You were out cold for over half an hour! I thought you were dead!"

"I was unconscious for that long!?" it felt more like a couple minutes to her.

"Yes, Master Judal and I had been waiting ever since we were transported here. It seems you were the only one who was affected by the transportation," Koubun explained with a much happier face.

"I see... so what I saw was only an illusion," Kougyoku said while looking at the floor

"What did you see, princess?" Koubun asked with interest

"Nothing! We should continue on now," Kougyoku exclaimed as she got up onto her feet. "Where's Judal?"

"Over here."

The voice came from across the room, and Judal could be seen leisurely sitting on top of a large boulder.

"Then let's go see the master of this dungeon," Judal said passively and jumped off the rock.

"Princess, are you sure you're okay?" Koubun asked with worry.

"Don't worry, I'm perfectly fine," Kougyoku said with a smile and hastily followed after Judal after reaching for her weapon which was placed near the side of her.

It was only now that she was certain that she was back in reality that Kougyoku noticed her surroundings. She had been lying on top of a magic circle with the Star of Lakshmi drawn in white on top of an island of dry gravel and rocks. Besides the small area of land that she was positioned on, the rest of the room was covered in water that reached up to Judal's ankles. This place was what you would expect from a flooded underground cavern.

Kougyoku rolled up the hems of her dress and cloak to her knees and tied them in place as she took after Judal. The waters were quite cold on her skin as she dipped her toes into the murky liquid of the dungeon. She had taken her first step in the dungeon, which was also the first step in making her dreams come true.

However, even though this should've been a magical moment for her, she couldn't help but contemplate the meaning of her preceding nightmare. Kougyoku may have been woken back into reality, but was there any real difference? Judal was here beside her only to complete his duties as a priest and his objective of having more Dungeon Capturers in the Kou Empire. Koubun on the other hand was definitely closer to Kougyoku, but there was something Kougyoku had come to understand about him. He had ulterior motives in being Kougyoku's assistant; he wasn't with her because he wanted to, but because it was his occupation. Koubun was one of the closest people to Kougyoku, but it wasn't his choice to do so. It didn't have to be Kougyoku; Koubun could've been the assistant for any other member of the royal family, and he would still act the same regardless.

Kougyoku could not help but think that her nightmare was just a reflection of her reality. After all, was she not alone in this world as well? Wasn't she just being influenced by the water around her?

While the conflict within Kougyoku's mind persisted, the party dove deeper into the dungeon.

* * *

"Take this!" with a grunt, Kougyoku drove the tip of her blade through the scales and into the flesh of the fish-like monster in front of her.

The scales were tough, and only by using the full weight of her body was Kougyoku able to pierce through the monster that resembled an angler fish, but much, much larger. Currently, the party of three was near the final room where Vinea, the Djinn of this dungeon was resting. It has been roughly three hours since they began their adventure through the dungeon, and there was not a moment where they could relax.

Wherever they ventured, underwater monsters crawled out from every nook and corner, and aggressively engaged the three of them. The creatures of the dungeon highly resembled their oceanic counterparts, but because there was not exactly enough water for them to swim through, they had other means of doing so. They had similar looking anatomy, but underneath each of their undersides were a pair of humanoid legs.

It was the oddest things seeing tens of these terrifying creatures literally running at them; maybe their oddity and obscurity worked to heighten them fearful appearance.

Judal had mentioned near the beginning that there should've been no problems in handling the monsters of the dungeon. He seemed to have been wrong, as Kougyoku could tell that even he was starting to tire from fighting off these creatures.

Sharks, eels, and crabs; an entire assortment of underwater creatures continued flowing into whatever area the three of them occupied

"What the hell is wrong with this dungeon!?" Judal shouted irately as he lifted his hand grasping a small sable rod to initiate a spell.

Large spikes of ice formed from the waters which were gathered and solidified from the surroundings. Immediately after their formation, the spikes of ice were propelled towards a group of monsters and speared straight through. Chunks of flesh and fish bones were scattered across the floors as the creatures dropped lifelessly.

"It shouldn't be this difficult, right!? Isn't that why you told me only to bring little help?" Kougyoku shouted while fending off the jaws of the raging fish.

"Dammit!" Koubun jumped towards the fish that Kougyoku was battling and stabbed his dagger into the head. Much like any other living creature, the fish keeled over and no longer moved. "Just a little more and it'll be over."

The door towards the end of the dungeon was within sight, but the closer they got, the more monsters seemed to emerge to stop their advance.

"Shit, that has to be it," Judal angrily shouted and he impaled more creatures with his magic. "Some bastard has entered the dungeon before us."

"Wait, that can't be! Wouldn't that mean they'd already be in the treasure room of the Djinn?" Kougyoku suddenly became very worried. After scouting through each room of the dungeon, they had never encountered another person, which would mean that this unknown individual would be in the last room. It couldn't be that after travelling this far out and getting her hopes up that someone else would prevent her from reaching her goal.

"This has happened before when some imbecile had gotten in the way and drastically raised the difficulty of the dungeon," Judal explained while looking towards the door leading to the treasury. "The level of this dungeon is beyond normal, and it would take someone with a lot of power to affect it this much. Don't tell me it's that bastard again..."

"That bastard...?" Kougyoku had never heard of anyone interfering with Judal's work in the dungeons. But then again, not much information was ever given to Kougyoku.

"There's no time to explain, we have to break through before they get the Metal Vessel!" Judal fiercely scowled and raced towards the colossal door which led to the final room. "We should still be able to make it seeing as the dungeon has not begun to collapse yet!"

Kougyoku could feel an immense amount of magoi concentrating around Judal as he rushed forward. He was going to blow whatever monsters that lie in his wake into oblivion and then force open the gate before more got in their way.

"Let's go, Koubun!" Kougyoku quickly trailed after Judal with enough of a distance between them to prevent being caught up in his magic.

Water was drawn from every direction of the room as it accumulated above Judal's raised hands holding his magical rod. What manifested was nothing less than a mini iceberg; no wonder those in the Kou Empire had feared Judal. His abilities were no doubt the most powerful and destructive things Kougyoku had ever seen.

"Out of my way!" Judal roared and pitched both of his arms forward. The iceberg moved in accordance with his will at an impeccable speed despite its massive size, the monsters could do nothing but stare at the massive object that spelled impending doom. It easily tore through anything unlucky enough to be in the way, and then crashed into the gate.

The contact of the iceberg with the gate created a deafening tremor that seemed to shake whatever foundations the dungeon had. Stone walls shook, and the waters rippled violently as shards and fragments from the exploding iceberg disseminated across the room. Even though the iceberg had completely broken apart, the gate had still remained intact and undamaged.

"Amazing..." Koubun said in disbelief while barely managing to keep up with Kougyoku's pace.

"Yeah..." Kougyoku agreed; the Kou Empire sure had its fair share of monsters.

With nothing to stand in their way, the three of them reached the last gate of the dungeon before the dungeon's reinforcements came. Judal hastily threw both of his hands onto the door and called out the secret words to unlock the gate.

"Open sesame—!" Judal's voice seemed to echo throughout the hall.

Rock floors cracked and the water in front of the double-doors of the gate were pushed aside as the gate responded to Judal's words. While the doors slowly cracked open, a magnificent flash of light was being emitted from the other side.

With no time to waste, the three of them jumped into the beacon of light.

No matter who this intruder was, she could not allow them to take away the Metal Vessel. Giving up the Metal Vessel would be akin to giving up her chances to acquire a better status within the royal family. Without the Metal Vessel, Kougyoku would remain a bastard child, but with it, she could become a worthy individual of the Kou Empire.

After entering the final chamber of the dungeon, the sight of immaculate treasures of all sorts welcomed them. Enough gold was scattered across the room to swim through; rubies, emeralds, diamonds, the room was jam packed with the greatest of riches beyond anyone's imagination. Extravagant golden crowns, priceless diamond rings, ornaments that would leave most crafters and artisans in shambles, it was just like what the legends of the dungeons told of.

At least, that was what it should've looked like...

Instead, the room seemed almost spotless except for back-end of the room where three humungous sacks were placed side by side next to a red-haired man speaking to what looked like a giant woman.

"Ahh... look, it appears more guests have arrived," the giant spoke out in a beautiful yet almost tragic-sounding tone. She wore a peerless teal circlet decorated with sparkling golden fish fins and underneath she had long straight hair with bangs that covered her eyes which gave her a depressing appearance. From the little of her face you could see, it was a fair guess that she was quite the looker. A simple white blouse was all she wore and neatly accentuated her curves. Oh, and she was blue.

The giant blue woman was no doubt the Djinn of the dungeon, Vinea, and standing in front of her was...

"It's y-you!" Kougyoku could not help but scream in frustration and point her finger at the Fanalis.

As livid as Kougyoku felt from seeing the man again after a number of hours, for some reason she felt a little delighted as well. After all, this meant she could get her revenge by shouting and making more rude remarks about him.

"What are you doing here you... you... idiot!"

Kougyoku somewhat regretted not preparing her insults beforehand as nothing really came to mind.

He seemed to have lost all his energy the moment he heard Kougyoku's voice as his shoulders seemed to have dropped. The Fanalis slowly turned around to face the three of them as he let out an exasperated sigh.

"I can't believe you of all people showed up... I'm pretty sure I've told you already, my name is Shirou Emiya, or was I too insignificant to remember for your royal highness?" Shirou replied in a sarcastic manner.

"As if I could ever forget a big idiot like you!" Kougyoku yelled boorishly. She was a lot more assertive now that the man was not replying with his intimidating expression from when they had met before. In fact, Kougyoku was brimming with renewed energy! "For all I care, Shirou Emiya is just another word for idiot-!"

"W-what?" Shirou seemed to have been slightly taken back from Kougyoku's devastating attacks. "Well, only an idiot would call other people idiots!"

An effective counterattack was given by the Fanalis as Kougyoku's face reddened with anger. Sparks began flying between the two of them in a vicious battle.

"Don't call me an idiot, you idiot!" Kougyoku lashed out in fury.

"You're the only idiot here!" Shirou returned the same resentment back towards Kougyoku.

"If I'm an idiot, then you're the biggest idiot in the world!" Kougyoku shook her fist towards Shirou and then crossed her arms together and pouted.

"I'm the one who should be saying that," Shirou had also crossed his arms as he looked off irritated to the side.

"Hmph!" the two of them snorted in perfect synchrony.

"Umm... I don't think friends should fight with each other," the Djinn tried to remediate the situation.

"WE'RE NOT FRIENDS!" Kougyoku and Shirou simultaneously retorted against the statement.

"Eek!" the Djinn shrieked nervously and shrank back from the sudden shouts.

Judal had not moved since entering and Koubun was burrowing his face into his hands while watching the show between Kougyoku and Shirou. It was sweet, sweet revenge for Kougyoku; she definitely won this confrontation, right?

"Are you done, Kougyoku?" Judal finally ended the awkward silence.

"A-ahh, yes, I am," Kougyoku timidly replied. She had totally forgotten Judal's presence the moment she saw the Fanalis, and got carried away. Looking at Shirou, it seemed he was also regretting his outburst as he coughed into his hand. What an embarrassing scene to show Judal...

Judal did not seem to mind their little dispute as he motioned forward with only one thing in mind.

"What the hell are you doing in my dungeon?" Judal glared indignantly at Shirou who was also locking eyes with him now.

The expression Shirou gave off was very different than the one he had given before; it seemed to be a mix between confusion, anger, and disgust. Did he have something against the Oracle of the Kou Empire as well?

"Oh? Welcome, Magi, to my dungeon," the Djinn lowered her head in a formal greeting towards Judal. "It seems this man here has come in search of treasure."

"In search of treasure?" Judal infuriatedly shook as he questioned Shirou's motives in disdain. "And you're allowing him to do so!?"

"Y-yes, he's cleared the dungeon for almost an hour now after all," the Djinn answered nervously. "And during that time, he's been in here entertaining me as my chatting partner."

"He cleared the dungeon, all by himself?" Judal asked while maintaining his glare at Shirou.

"Yes, he entered alone," the Djinn replied.

It was obvious after seeing what Shirou had done to the thieves that he was a very capable individual, but to be able to clear a dungeon all by himself...

"Who the hell are you?" Judal asked the same question Kougyoku had been pondering about.

"My name is Shirou Emiya, and well... at the moment, I'm probably something like a travelling treasure hunter," Shirou coolly replied with a smug-look on his face.

"Don't play games with me you bastard..." Judal raised his arm as he readied himself to cast a spell. Likewise, Shirou had maintained a strange stance, as if he were grasping two invisible swords. The situation was escalating way out of hand.

Though Kougyoku had forced herself to believe she had not liked this man named Shirou, it was still disconcerting to see Judal fight him. For a monstrous individual like Judal, this could end in Shirou's death... That was the last thing Kougyoku wanted to see at this point.

"S-st-!"

"Wait, stop!" the Djinn moved between the two males before they could make a move. "Even though he was able to clear the dungeon before your party could, he appears to be incompatible with me and the Metal Vessel."

"Incompatible?" Judal said in surprise. "Is he a magician then? Now that you mention it, the Rukh around him does seem to indicate that he is not some commoner."

Though Judal no longer looked inclined to attack, the tension between the two of them had not dissipated. It still remained a cutthroat moment, where the smallest movement could initiate the start of a battle.

"Yes, it appears so," the Djinn nodded her head. "Even though he has the required attributes and overall seems to be suited to become a King Candidate that I would support; he would not be able to use me."

A King Candidate is an individual chosen because of their potential to master magic and because of their latent ability to emanate an aura that causes others to flock to them because of their righteousness. A King Candidate will battle against others to elevate themselves to the position of a king of unprecedented grandeur. They are also Dungeon Capturers which are rewarded a Djinn in the form of a Metal Vessel. However, there is a bad affinity between using a Djinn and Magicians, because in a sense, Djinns are Magicians as well. They are capable of commanding the Rukh in order to transform magoi into magic.

So Shirou was a magician... That explains how he was easily able to dispose of the thieves.

"I see," Judal said almost uninterested. "Then what proposition would you like to make to solve our situation here, Vinea, Djinn of sorrow and isolation?"

"Give Shirou Emiya the treasures, while keeping the Metal Vessel," Vinea explained her solution. "I can tell, the girl you have chosen as a King Candidate is someone I will easily be able to harmonize with. She is unfortunately someone that also embodies what I represent."

Isolation and sorrow; Kougyoku had been chosen as a Dungeon Capturer after Judal had realized that she was the perfect individual for this task. Should Kougyoku curse her fate as an isolated and sorrowful person? Or should she thank it for giving her the opportunity to acquire a Metal Vessel. It was something she could never truthfully answer.

But wait, the Djinn had previously mentioned that Shirou was also someone who matched the requirements; does this mean he was similar to Kougyoku?

"As long as Kougyoku is given the Metal Vessel, then so be it," Judal gave his consent hesitantly. "Though it's distasteful, the beggar can have what he came for if that's what you wish for, Vinea."

"W-wait! I can't let him have the treasure!" Kougyoku interjected and sternly refused the agreement. "I need it!"

With the treasures obtained from the dungeon, it was possible to erase the existence of the area known as the slums in the capital of the Kou Empire. It was where Kougyoku had grown up, and it was her wish to end the poverty that stained the streets there. She still needed to keep her promise with those in the slums who trusted in her.

"You're already living a lavish life as a member of the royal family... Does your greed have no limits?" Shirou had regained his formidable stare that seemed to exert an immense pressure.

"I don't care what you have to say, I absolutely need it!" Kougyoku remained firm and kept her gaze on Shirou. "Judal, there's no reason why we need to hand the treasures over to this man!"

"Kougyoku, that's enough," Judal said in a tone that did not give room for any arguments. "We've come for the Metal Vessel, and if Vinea wishes to give her treasures to this insignificant bug in front of us, then so be it. Frankly, I'm not in the mood to waste any more of my energy on someone not worth my time."

The words of the Oracle were final, and for someone as powerless as Kougyoku, disagreeing would result in serious consequences. There was no way she could jeopardize her current position for monetary funds. In the long-run, if she could obtain a greater power within the empire, then she could work to rid starvation and poverty throughout the country. Though it hurt her deeply, she had to accept the conditions.

Frustration was clearly marked on Kougyoku's face as she bit down hard on her lips.

"Can I ask one thing, Mr. Emiya," Koubun surprisingly spoke up. "Before, when you had said you were hunting the thieves, was it out of your goodwill, or was there a bounty placed on the heads of those thieves?"

It was a question that Kougyoku had completely forgotten about. Why did this man chase after the thieves? Bounty hunting was a good source of income for individuals who had the necessary skills to do so. Since the country was in the midst of wartimes, the rise of criminals to take advantage of the situation was inevitable. Thieves and murderers were able to run rampant because of the lack of security, which was why the rate of Bounty Hunters would also rise in these times. For the group of bandits they had encountered earlier today, there would definitely be a high reward for their capture. Kougyoku waited with a bated breath as she listened intently for Shirou's answer.

"Both," he answered calmly. "I needed the money, and hunting the thieves down was just a plus."

"Then your true objective was to earn money? I guess that's a stupid question considering your presence here in the dungeon," Koubun said almost pitifully.

"Yes, long-story short, following the thieves was just a side-mission of mine while travelling to the dungeon to acquire the treasure of legends," he answered honestly.

"I see, I finally grasp what your true nature is then," Koubun said as he shook his head incredulously.

"So in the end, you were just another person overwhelmed by the desire for money..." Kougyoku said dejectedly. "You absolutely disgust me."

"Hah... You're free to think whatever you like, princess," Shirou sighed as he wryly smiled.

"You know... it might sound a little ironic coming from me, but if you two just sat down with one another and talked, I'm sure you'd find one another to be very alike," the Djinn once again tried to mend the broken relationship. "At least, that's the feeling I get from you two."

"I could never get along with a man like him," Kougyoku immediately disagreed.

"It's impossible," Shirou confidently exclaimed.

There was no need to talk with the Fanalis any further as Kougyoku brooded inaudibly.

"Yeah, yeah, so the greedy man gets the treasure," Judal spoke up with annoyance. "Let's move on to the more important matters, Vinea."

"I suppose so..." Vinea replied hesitantly as she repeatedly looked from Kougyoku to Shirou.

Vinea moved forward and stood tall in front of Kougyoku. How long Kougyoku had waited for this moment to come in her life as she was now seconds away from gaining her Metal Vessel. But was she really worthy of such a thing?

"What is the matter, Kougyoku Ren?" Vinea spoke softly from above as she looked at Kougyoku's strained expression.

"Nothing's wrong…" Kougyoku replied. She wanted to punch herself for showing pointless weakness now of all times.

"Do you doubt your ability to become a King Candidate?" Vinea accurately uncovered Kougyoku's worries.

"…"

"There's no need to fret about such a matter; you are the most talented one when it comes to using me," Vinea proclaimed with a gentle smile. "Though you have had a lonely past… it has not stopped you from trying to become someone great; I will support you. You have a long journey ahead of you, and what you accomplish by using my power is up to you to determine."

Kougyoku clenched her fists as she glanced up assuredly after listening to the Djinn's words.

"Please watch over me," Kougyoku said with fire in her eyes.

The form of the Djinn disintegrated into a vortex of small glittering birds that projected itself towards Kougyoku's golden hair stick. It continuously hoarded itself onto the accessory until finally, only the Star of Lakshmi was finely imprinted onto the handle.

Once completed, the room itself began to irradiate powerfully as a magical circle was suddenly conjured underneath everyone to prepare for transportation outside of the dungeon.

The dungeon was successfully captured by Kougyoku.

"_I look forward to the king you become, Kougyoku Ren_."

* * *

Kougyoku's hand held on tight to her golden hair stick as she continued glossing over it, and running her fingers over the engraved markings. From now on, her life would change.

For minutes, she was motionless as she remained kneeling on the patch of dirt that the dungeon had transported her to. Her mind continued replaying the events that had occurred today, and despite all the misfortunes that the Fanalis had brought, she was still overwhelmed with joy from obtaining her Metal Vessel, and becoming a Dungeon Capturer.

"I did it..." Kougyoku announced to nobody in particular.

"Princess, are you okay?" Koubun could be heard from a further away distance.

"Yes, I've never felt better," Kougyoku replied.

"That's great, congratulations on becoming a Dungeon Capturer, princess," Koubun said with a wide smile.

"Thank you..." Kougyoku clutched her hair stick containing Vinea against her chest as she suddenly felt the full rush of emotions. "Thank you..."

Tears caressed her cheeks as she could no longer contain the feelings within her. For the first time in her life, she had accomplished and obtained something worth praising. She was certain her mother would be proud of her if she were still here.

However, this was not the end. This was merely the beginning of Kougyoku's journey with even grander accomplishment waiting to be fulfilled. There were much more important things to save her tears for.

"I suppose we should retire for the night then," Kougyoku stood up and announced after seeing the black skies illuminated with the sparkles of the stars and moon.

"Yes, we'll return to the capital tomorrow," Koubun said proudly and began walking ahead of Kougyoku. "It seems Judal has already taken off back towards the capital to report the capture of the dungeon."

"Is that so," Kougyoku said as if her mind was on something else.

"And the Fanalis named Shirou was nowhere to be found when I regained my consciousness," Koubun declared as he continued leading the way to a place to rest.

"I don't care about him!" Kougyoku said displeasingly; it seems Koubun was able to answer the question on her mind.

Whatever the case, at this point, Kougyoku wouldn't mind if she never saw that despicable man again. It was because of greedy people like him that poverty and starvation was still spreading rapidly across the country. The Fanalis was no different than any of the other nobles that Kougyoku has seen throughout the nation; overcome by the desire for wealth and power. It was a plague that Kougyoku ultimately aimed to erase in the near future when she was in a more respectable position.

Forget about him! Kougyoku tried shaking away her putrid thoughts about him. Hopefully, the Fanalis named Shirou would be out of her mind by the end of tomorrow. From now on, Kougyoku would become more involved in her country, and she couldn't let that damned man distract her.

After finally lying in bed, she had barely gotten a single hour of shuteye from the images of Shirou that tortured her throughout the night.

* * *

Their carriage ride back to the capital was very pleasant for Kougyoku, because it was uninterrupted which gave her the chance to catch up on some sleep. The sunlight of midday beamed down on Kougyoku as she exited the carriage with Koubun. Enormous buildings and the sight of hundreds of civilians going about on their day welcomed Kougyoku back home. It was an environment she was completely accustomed to, and she couldn't be happier to be back.

However, there was one thing bringing down her mood. Kougyoku had a broken promise with the people of the slums, and she was now on her way to break the bad news to them. The hopeful looks of the children and parents had made Kougyoku exceptionally pleased, but now it was her duty to destroy it.

Reluctantly, Kougyoku started down the streets with Koubun towards the area of the slums.

"'I'm sorry, something came up and I wasn't able to get the treasures'... how about, 'What? I made no such promise. What are these gifts you are talking about...?' No, that wouldn't work at all!" Kougyoku bit down on the sleeves of her dress in agony. She was no longer wearing the cloak given to her by the Fanalis, and had instead changed to one of her spare dresses. "How am I going to tell them, Koubun!?"

Watery eyes looked up at Koubun as he chuckled lightly.

"Princess, you owe those people nothing. Just tell them the truth, and be done with it," Koubun said harshly.

Koubun was never fond of Kougyoku's kindness to the less fortunate, and instead was a firm believer in rising up with one's own power. It was true that the riches Kougyoku would have given to the people would only serve as a momentary release from the struggles of the poor, and that they would still have to fend for themselves after they exhausted their goods.

What Kougyoku was doing was not giving the people of the slums a better life, but giving them a chance to build a better life with their own hands. There's a clear dichotomy between the upper and lower classes, and this was exceptionally true within the capital of the Kou Empire. The poor were unable to appropriately work for themselves, because they lack the funds to afford training and education. With the expansion of the Kou Empire, there was an increasing emphasis on individuals who were literate, or have special talents. There was only so much of a need for individuals who could do hard labor, and the rest were cast aside.

A sigh escaped Kougyoku's mouth as she crossed the line which separated the slums from the rest of society. It was not an actual line, but a metaphysical one the civilians had created themselves. The area of the slums was actually quite noticeable; it was a wide community made up of inadequate houses, dirty streets, garbage littered throughout, rodents running carefree, and an abundance of homeless individuals lining the walls for shade. Not many individuals visited the slums, which made it relatively silent for the most part.

Although it may appear like an empty and tragic part of town with nothing going for it, that was entirely false. There were a pronounced number of children within the slums who played in the streets and overall lightened the otherwise gloomy mood. If there was one thing in the slums that the rest of society could learn from, it was the resilient feeling of hope. It was an empowering feeling that kept the people on their feet as they continued to believe that one day, they would be given the chance to join the rest of society.

It was something Kougyoku had wished to give her people.

And that hadn't changed. Kougyoku may have failed this time, but all that meant was that she would have to succeed in her next attempt! Losing sleep over it would not benefit anyone in any way, so for now she had to keep her composure, and show the people that she would not give up hope either.

With a recovered vigor, Kougyoku walked straight into the heart of the community where most of the people usually gathered; the marketplace.

There was something going on as Kougyoku and Koubun neared the area. Usually, not much activity occurred despite it being the most popular area of the slums. But at this instant, Kougyoku could barely hear her own thoughts over the apparent cheers and laughter of an amassed group of people.

The afternoon sun had only been up for approximately an hour, but there seemed to be some kind of festival going on as individuals downed jugs of beer and ate from an assortment of plates full of food. Ecstatic and joyful expressions were plastered on everyone's faces; it was something straight out of Kougyoku's dream.

"Sister Kougyoku!" a small boy with short-brown hair dashed over to Kougyoku the moment he laid eyes on her.

"Princess Kougyoku!" the mother of the boy also pranced over with water-filled eyes.

"W-what's going on here?" Kougyoku asked in confusion.

"You did it, sister Kougyoku!" the boy leapt up in down as if he could barely contain himself. "I knew you could do it! Everyone called me a liar when I told them your promise, but now they know!"

"Princess... Thank you so much..." the mother wiped her eyes while continually bowing in gratification for an unknown reason. "Because of you... my child will be able to grow up as a normal child... I promise, I will never go a day without thanking you from the bottom of my heart... you truly are a saint!"

"Sister Kougyoku, come join the fun with us!" the boy shouted with glee.

"Yes! Please do, I'm sure everyone sincerely wishes to express their thanks to you!" the mother also  
chimed in.

It wasn't that Kougyoku did not want to join in, but she seriously had no idea what was going on.

"Stop, stop!" Kougyoku stretched out both her hands in front of her as she tried calming them down. "Please tell me what has happened here!?"

The mother and child looked to one another with a perplexed look in their eyes. Was it something Kougyoku should've known?

"I'm sorry, Kougyoku is still weary from our travels, and so could you explain to us what has happened?" Koubun made up a lie to excuse Kougyoku's apparently strange reaction.

"Ahh! Mother, maybe her servant messed up the timing or something," the boy suddenly said as if he solved a mystery.

"Oh, if that's the case, then I hope he isn't punished by our princess," the mother softly laughed.

"My servant?" Kougyoku looked to Koubun who shrugged his arms in response.

Kougyoku's heart began rapidly beating as the image of a certain man appeared in her head. It couldn't be...

"Yes! This morning, your red-haired servant arrived into the slums in a wagon with three large sacks being pulled by camels!" the boy excitedly retold his experiences from earlier today. "He's the first I've met that has red hair; the people around me called him a 'Fanalis'!"

"He called out to a few people around him, and gave them some gold coins to round up everyone in the slums," the mother continued the story. "Because it was still in the early morning, most individuals had not left for work yet, and as a result, nearly all five hundred people of the slums gathered. He then announced that he was an official of the Kou Empire and asked everyone to separate into their respective families if they had one."

"When everyone finished separating, he then opened his bags and showed everyone all the treasures!" the child raised his voice as he overtook his mother in the story-telling. "Everyone was surprised and some people even cried when he started handing out the treasures in the bag! When he came to me and my mother, I asked him 'You work for sister Kougyoku right?', and then he looked confused!"

The boy drew in a deep breath as he continued talking at a very fast pace.

"He said 'Why do you think I would work for Kougyoku?', and then I replied 'Because sister Kougyoku promised everyone in the slums that she would bring back all the treasures as gifts once she captures the dungeon. She's super strong after all, and I believe she would keep her promise!' The red-haired man then went all silent and just continued looking at me," the boy once again took in a gulp of air as he prepared himself. "It was weird, for a couple seconds he just stood there without moving, but then finally he started laughing and smacked himself in the forehead with his palm. He then said, 'Yes, I work for Kougyoku! She told me to give out the treasures to everyone here,' and then he gave me and mother very expensive objects and rings!"

"Could it be...?" Koubun whispered in shock.

At the end of the story, the red-haired man left on foot after donating the wagon and camels to a lucky couple. Kougyoku was determined to completely forget all about that man, but now... it was becoming impossible.

"Princess Kougyoku!" the voices coming from multiple people from the market place brought Kougyoku back to reality as a stampede of individuals could be seen racing over. "Everyone! It's Princess Kougyoku!"

She couldn't meet with them now; she could barely breathe let alone converse with the people teeming with bliss.

"I'm sorry, excuse me!" with all of her might, Kougyoku forced herself to bolt off as far away as possible.

The calls of her name continued to reverberate throughout the city as she ran away from the slums and slipped into an empty alleyway. Of course, Koubun had been right on her heels the entire time. They hadn't been running for more than a couple minutes, but Kougyoku was in desperate need for oxygen and could barely breathe.

"Princess, are you alright?" Koubun asked in concern. If Kougyoku appeared breathless from running and Koubun wasn't, then something was unquestionably wrong.

"Y-yes, I, I just n-need... to catch... my b-breath," Kougyoku was facing in the opposite direction of Koubun.

"It appears we have misjudged that man," Koubun stated.

"..." only the ragged breathing of Kougyoku could be heard.

"Princess?" the sound of Koubun's footsteps was approaching.

"Stay away!" a flustered Kougyoku suddenly shouted. "J-Just leave me alone for a minute!"

Koubun seemed to have complied as silence enveloped Kougyoku's surroundings. Externally, Kougyoku appeared to be frozen in place, but internally, she was a complete mess.

Her heart felt like exploding straight out of her chest, her head felt like it was being attacked by a hammer as blood continued to pump intensely throughout her brain, her body felt like a furnace as it continued heating up beyond all comprehension, and finally, her face was flushed in the fiercest of pink.

However, despite what Kougyoku might say about her current predicament, she was fully engulfed in euphoria. There were too many coincidences, far too many cliché developments, way too many similarities to the second-grade romance plays and novels she would sometimes immerse herself into. In fact, if Kougyoku had suddenly woken up, she would have no problems believing this was all just a dream.

Ever so slowly, Kougyoku's slender digits reached up to her face and brushed against her soft cherry-red lips. She was in a complete daze, and only after realizing what she was doing, Kougyoku quickly darted her shy eyes from side to side as she checked if anyone had seen that.

Kougyoku's long and beautiful eyelashes closed together multiple times as she was unsure of what else to do. Eventually, habit took course, as Kougyoku brought up the sleeves of her dress to shield her face behind the wall of fabric. She was lucky that this was an empty alleyway, because surely if anyone had seen her, she would have fainted from embarrassment.

"Shirou Emiya..." she whispered happily beneath her breath.

**[Chapter 2 End]**

Author Notes:

For anyone who's unfamiliar to 'Magi', and there's surprisingly a lot (I thought Magi was very popular, but after looking at the FFN list of Magi stories, there does not seem to be a large fan base for it here), the world this takes place in will be further explained in the upcoming chapters from Shirou's point of view. Since I started these two chapters with Kougyoku's point of view, I kind of dived right into the middle of everything. Just building up the mystery!

So anyway, Shirou's POV and his experiences up to date from when he first enters the Magi world starts next time.

Reviewer Comments:

Fangking2: Thanks for reading! I was pretty surprised to see there was only one other Magi crossover.

Silver Winged King: No worries, the reason for Shirou's dislike and his adventure prior to the dungeon will be summarized next chapter; thanks for the review.

Condor green: Thanks for the review, I hope I give a good enough reason for Shirou's anger. At this point, he's been here for around a month?

Tikigod784: I hope the explanation next chapter satisfies you lol.

Heaven Canceler: Ahh I see your point about the mysterious disappearance of Shirou. I'll leave that up to interpretation of what happens after that, but here's my guess which I won't include in the story. The Rukh cannot be seen by normal individuals, so those around Shirou at that time would not be able to see it. The Rukh is the home of souls (Think of it as somewhat analogous to the Root), so it basically just took Shirou's soul and transported it to the Magi world. Because the Rukh can also interact with nature, it's possible to reconstruct a perfect human body replicate; after all, the human body is mostly just made of oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, etc. So basically, Shirou's Earth body dies while his soul is transported to a new and exact clone of his old body. And yeah, anything is possible with Zelretch hahah.

Guest: Not at all, your review was very constructive and helped me fix a lot of my mistakes. I should be thanking you.

Ultima-owner: Yeah, some people are better off dead. I was thinking to have Shirou just kill them all, but he wouldn't do that. Shirou will save people regardless if they deserve or want saving as long as it does not result in more deaths.

JinzoMask656: Hahah, I see what you mean. That was one of my greatest problems with Fairy Tail; everything about it is comedy, and even when there are serious scenes, it suddenly reverts back to light-humor. It was hard integrating the two worlds together when one focuses on comedy while the other focuses on tragedy lol. Magi seems like a good mix of both worlds though, which is why I love it.

DemonRaily: Thank you, I'm sure I will after I catch up with Fairy Tail. Hopefully I don't ruin the Magi experience for ya!

Nonwritten: You have to take into account that if he escaped in front of those villagers, magecraft would definitely be involved, which would result in the enforcers killing everybody. And prior to the little stage-show trial, escaping was near impossible with how many Church members surrounded him. I hope the next chapter justifies the reasoning for Shirou's animosity for you enough!

Yupyuphahaha: Thanks for the review! The tension was exactly what I was going for, as well as some light-hearted comedy lol.

RealmOfEmptiness: Great review, everything you wrote was pretty much on par with my line of thought. Is Sinbad being relieved a major headache? I'm not too sure to be honest; Sinbad's character is very hard to get a grasp of. This is because I'm not certain whether Kougyoku's infatuation with him is because of love at first sight, or if it was a charm spell placed on her by Sinbad. Probably won't talk about this until future chapters. Thank you for the kind review!

Kenegi: Hope it inspired you to read Magi, it's a great manga!

ImagineBreaker7: Will do my best to ensure it's a wonderful meeting lol

Cavalyn: Thank you kind sir!

Will be working on my other fanfiction for a bit before writing the next chapter. So thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it. Reviews are always welcome!

Till next time,

Cheers.


	4. From the Beginning

**[Labyrinth of Fate; Chapter 3]**

The serene moon illuminated the quiet desert grounds below as the temperature began to drop to an uncomfortable level. It was a drastic change from the unbearable blazing weather that the environment had exhibited just hours ago, and Shirou was entirely caught off guard.

With both his arms rubbing each other for friction to create heat, Shirou sat shivering in the excessively large wagon which was currently being pulled by a number of camels. It had only been a couple hours since he left Vinea's dungeon, which meant he was only at the halfway point to reaching the capital of the Kou Empire.

"Dammit..." Shirou's teeth chattered as he groaned from his discomfort.

At this point, Shirou highly regretted handing over his cloak to the naive princess he had met earlier today. Just reflecting upon his interactions so far with the royal family of the Kou Empire was enough to give him a massive headache. It's a miracle in itself that this country was still able to function despite the individuals ruling it.

Shaking his head, Shirou shook off the frustration that was accumulating in his mind, and instead, he gazed up into the night sky.

It was nothing like the sky back in his world. There were brand new lights, different stars, brilliant constellations, it was daunting to come to realization that he would probably never be able to go back home. However, for some reason, Shirou had felt at home and peace as he let his mind wander off with the vision of the stars.

Shirou had found a new purpose in this unknown world; one he could fight for, and one he could live for. Although Shirou was out of place in these foreign lands, all he could do was accept it. An individual cannot choose the star they are born under, nor can they choose their fate.

While contemplating about his meaning in being in this new world, Shirou's mind drifted into his experiences over the past month.

* * *

Fresh, pure and natural, the air that Shirou inhaled was exhilarating compared to the one he was used to tasting. His body remained motionless as he stood frozen in the center of a vast field of unkempt grass.

_What's going on...?_

The current situation did not match up with Shirou's memories; he shouldn't be alive...

Shirou stretched out his right hand in front of his face and curled his fingers into a tight ball. His strength was still intact and he could still feel his magic coursing through his soul. The same sleeveless black leather clothes still covered him as well as the precious red jewel pendant which he always kept was still in his pocket; basically, Shirou was in the exact state before being hung from his neck.

With his right hand in front of him, he touched the skin around his neck. Though the stinging pain of the rope strangling him was still vivid, there were no scars, nor any indication that Shirou was hung in the first place.

Was Shirou saved in his last moments? Shirou was never one to feel content about a lack of information, and the missing portion of his memory was not helping at all.

A small surge of energy was pumped into Shirou's eyes as he began reinforcing himself to enhance his vision. The first step now was deciding a direction to head towards. Shirou's pupils dilated, the ciliary muscles relaxed, and more light was absorbed and processed beyond what a normal human could achieve. He could now easily observe the surroundings as if he were using a pair of binoculars.

At least twenty miles away was what appeared to be a city

"Here goes nothing..." Shirou sighed as he finally left the spot he was standing in for a considerable amount of time.

* * *

It was probably not the smartest thing to walk into a random city after being convicted as a terrorist, but Shirou was desperate for information.

A line of what appeared to be merchants and travelers had waited at one colossal entrance that led into the city. Many of them brought carts of weapons consisting of swords, axes, but clearly an absence of firearms. Some brought along barrels of wine and others brought along agricultural goods.

Stone borders surrounded the city, and guards carrying bows and spears were positioned neatly around the perimeters.

There was definitely something wrong.

Taking his chances, Shirou stealthily dove into a wagon carrying a mountain of hay. Even though he had nothing on him but his clothes and although this city seemed completely backwards; Shirou could not risk being caught again after having his life spared.

The guards and the people entering the city had appeared to be of Asian descent and also spoke a language Shirou could understand for some unknown reason, despite never once hearing it before. It was another mystery.

"Welcome to the capital of the Kou Empire," the guard spoke with monotone to the merchant of the cart in which Shirou was concealing himself in. "I hope you have success in your trade."

This man surely hated his job.

Besides that, where in the world was this 'Kou Empire'? Shirou may have been a little behind with world news, but he wouldn't have been that out of the picture to neglect something as big as the appearance of a new empire...

As soon as the merchant entered the city, Shirou hastily leapt out of the back of the cart without a sound. Before anyone could place their eyes on him, Shirou instantly dashed into the nearest empty alley.

After making sure he was completely alone, Shirou surveyed his new surroundings. The sight before Shirou left him speechless.

If this was some sort of festival that looked to recreate a time of history, then the founders obviously had too much times on their hands.

Men and women walked the streets in garments such as kimonos and other similar types of traditional clothing. Most of the articles clothing that people donned were plainly colored while few individuals wore brightly decorated ones which revealed their separation of class structures. What surprised Shirou the most were the swords that were casually equipped by some of the higher looking classed individuals.

It was almost as if Shirou was thrown back into a mesh between the imperial era of China and the feudal era of Japan.

"What the hell is this...?" Shirou mumbled as the questions only continued to accumulate.

From the view of the city Shirou had gotten from the outside, there was no doubt that this city was on the scale of any major city in Japan.

Anxiety coursed through Shirou's mind as he quickly sprinted across the city. He no longer worried about whether anyone saw him, but it was quite unlikely anyone would be able to get a good look at his face judging from the speed he was running at.

For minutes Shirou sped throughout the city while maintaining his pace, and no matter where he ran, the city appeared uniform throughout. The buildings, the residential areas, the shopping grounds, they were all reminiscent of the ancient dynasties of the past!

Finally, one last structure had left Shirou in complete despair. It was a wonderful construction that definitely required the conjoined efforts of the greatest architects, engineers and artists. The foundations were built sturdily by the toughest of stones, the walls were fortified by highly durable materials, and some areas of the buildings were layered in gold. Intricate designs were prevalent among the gates and walls as the structure stood both aesthetically pleasing and powerful in the center of the city.

Normally, Shirou would have taken the time to marvel and appreciate how extravagant and gorgeous the building was. After all, it was not every day he could view a real-life imperial castle. There was no way a castle of this magnitude could have existed anywhere in the world; it was larger than any castle Shirou had heard of in China, Japan, or anywhere else in the world for that matter.

The air was different, the magic was strange, and things that shouldn't be here were… The moment this realization sprung in Shirou's mind, a sense of dread slowly overtook him.

"This is not my world..." Shirou whispered in shock.

* * *

Shirou nonchalantly wandered the streets with no sense of direction. Now that he thought about it, getting to live in a new world was a much better deal than dying, and the only real attachment he had back in his world was Rin Tohsaka.

Instead of feeling muddled and disordered from being in a new world, shouldn't he be overjoyed about getting a second chance at carrying out his ideals? At the very least, this should be his train of thought until he had a better sense of what was going on. Moping about his situation would help no one.

While walking down the streets, Shirou could feel the eyes of everyone being directed at him. At first, he was quite disturbed by the amount of attention that was garnered towards him as countless numbers of people carefully observed his every action. They eyed him suspiciously and whispered into each other's ears in worry.

Initially, Shirou was overcome by fear as he believed they had recognized him as a terrorist. But after reinforcing his sense of hearing, it was something completely unrelated.

"My god, look at his red hair."

"I've never seen anyone like him..."

"A Fanalis in the streets of the imperial city?"

Irritation and annoyance was clearly marked on Shirou's face as he aimlessly walked wherever his feet took him. Sure, even back in Shirou's own world he had sometimes been the center of attention because of his red hair. Back in his younger days, he would be called the 'Japanese ginger kid', but he was still proud of who he was.

Having his red hair once again gather attention for him brought back memories he'd rather not remember as he walked throughout the city with a frown. What was he, some kind of zoo animal? They should seriously try to have some decency.

With Shirou's aggravation increasing by the second, he escaped into another different location of the city.

The area appeared isolated on all sides by an imaginary line; it felt completely separated from the rest of the city. Buildings were ruined and the streets were infested with rodents and garbage as far as the eye could see. Some homes were nothing more than small areas which could hold no more than two people, and had fabrics overhead acting as a roof.

It was without a doubt that this was a region abandoned by the rest of society. The rest of the city was bright and sparkling, yet this area was the complete opposite. It was as if the city pooled all the negativities and undesirable things into this spot.

This included its people as well...

The elderly to the young; they all wore tattered clothing and looked as though they would collapse from the slightest touch. Shirou had been in numerous countries where this scene was a common occurrence...

But never has he seen an area in this condition within the confines of what appeared to be a prosperous city. From just his hour-long exploration of the city, he had already seen some obvious high official nobles that were covered from head to toe in golden chains and diamond accessories. How could an area like this still exist?

It looked to be an area where it wouldn't be anything special to see a fresh corpse or two. While being assaulted by the heavy stench in the air, Shirou continued along as he examined the people drowning in this solemn atmosphere.

Shirou travelled down the roads, and eventually found himself in the center of a small marketplace. It was much smaller than the few Shirou had seen throughout the city, but was a fresh of breath air from the crowd he had just seen.

These people may have been in a pitiful and dismal circumstance, but they still appeared to be giving it everything they got. They were just like anyone else; they had a life to live, family to come home to, kids to take care of... Seeing their hopeful expressions despite their unacceptable living conditions only reinforced Shirou's desire to help them.

"I'm sorry!" a woman repeatedly bowed her head in front of two seemingly well off individuals. They certainly stood out, especially among the people here.

A few by-passers stopped to watch.

"'I'm sorry,' doesn't cut it, Miss!" the larger of the two replied sluggishly. He might've appeared decent, but from his movements, he was positively drunk.

"You've got quite the outfit, don't you?" the other skinny drunk said with a grin as he began displaying an aggressive excitement.

It seemed the woman had accidentally bumped into one of the men. Of course, Shirou didn't doubt that the men had purposely gotten in her way. The woman was probably within her mid-twenties with long brown hair and wore revealing rags which only pronounced her womanly figure. The worn-out shirt she was wearing had a very low cut which was probably intentional to openly show her breasts to the public.

Prostitution was undoubtedly common in the slums of the city... There was no reason for Shirou to act unless it was necessary.

"Hey, hey, what do you think you have to do for us to forgive you?" the large drunkard said mockingly.

"I-I said I was sorry," the woman apologized with tears in her eyes. She had no intentions of going along with the men. A large bag containing a bundle of food was grasped in her hands.

More unrelated individuals swarm around them.

"Please... my son is waiting for me back home," she begged them to let her go.

"You bumped into us, so we expect something in return," the skinny drunk explained sarcastically. "Whores are always like this; when money is not involved, they have no empathy."

"Fine, I'll pay," the larger man replied angrily. "So strip off all your clothes right now."

The man then proceeded to toss down a few coins.

From the looks of it; they would only take it further if she complied with their present demands.

"I-I can't do that here in front of everyone..." she nervously replied as she shrank back.

More coins flew in her direction from the other man. They bounced off her head and dropped to the ground with a crisp metallic echo. The woman's shoulders and legs were trembling from the humiliation.

"This is all you're good for; stop acting like a sensible human being," they began to shout forcibly.

"Hey."

"What do you want!?" the larger man turned around to face Shirou.

"She might be a prostitute, but there are some things that can't be merely sold," Shirou said sternly.

The next instant, Shirou threw a punch directly at the large drunken man's face. Shirou had not reinforced his fist, yet the man easily crashed into the ground gracelessly.

"Take your friend, and get out of here," Shirou ordered the other man without remorse.

He quickly followed Shirou's command without any hesitation. As soon as Shirou disposed of the larger man, the rest of the crowd hastily dispersed.

"You'll regret this you bastard..." it was an empty threat by the other drunkard as Shirou watched him drag the larger man with difficulty out of sight.

After seeing the two of them leave, Shirou spun around and placed a hand on the woman's shoulder which was still shaking.

"It's okay now," Shirou kindly told her.

"Ahh... thank you for your help," the woman seemed to calm down dramatically with the touch of Shirou's hand.

"Your son is waiting, right? You should hurry back," Shirou said with a soft smile and he reached down below the woman's feet to pick up the coins in which the man had not bothered to retrieve.

Shirou had no idea what these coins were worth, but he placed them in the hands of the woman.

"T-thank you!" the woman deeply bowed and rushed out of the area.

* * *

A few hours had passed since Shirou entered the area known as the slums, and every so often he would come across a lifeless body lying in the middle of the streets. Civilians would walk over the body as if it was something a part of their ordinary life. Perhaps they were too afraid to acknowledge that the body might've been someone much like themselves not too long ago...

It greatly pained Shirou to witness such a sight as he could do nothing for the deceased.

The moon had now taken residence up in the sky as the streets darkened, leaving the mood of the slums even gloomier. Shirou was hungry and tired, but he was certain he could last quite a while if needed be.

While sorting out his course of action, Shirou came across another body.

In the darkness, the body was nearly invisible except for the small ray of moonlight that revealed the small hands of a child. A sharp and acute pain made its way into Shirou's throat as he forced back a groan.

Not even a child was spared in this god-forsaken place.

The least Shirou could do was to give the child a proper burial...

With both his arms, Shirou scooped the child up into the air. Illuminated under the light, Shirou could now see that the child was a young girl. There was still warmth in her body...

"She's alive..."

Her chest slowly heaved up and down ever so slightly as her thin and frail body hung in Shirou's arms. This girl's life was dangling by a single thread... she needed attention and food immediately.

"Someone help!" Shirou shouted into the night sky. Desperation was evidently in his voice.

He ran back into the areas where there were more people gathered.

"Somebody save this girl!" Shirou yelled out to anyone he had seen.

Everyone turned a blind eye and looked away shamefully whenever Shirou had come close. They probably had nothing to share in the first place...

"Anybody... please help!" Shirou could feel a rising nausea as he imagined what waited in the near future.

No one answered and Shirou quickly turned around one, two corners as the roads narrowed between the housing and buildings. Because of the tight spacing between the tall buildings, barely any light shone down within this tight junction. Time relentlessly continued ticking away for the young girl as Shirou carried her through the hazy darkness.

The marketplace had shut down almost an hour ago, so even stealing was not an option.

Ever since the Holy Grail War, Shirou had never taken a day off of training or studying. After feeling so powerless and dependent on others during the war, Shirou had pushed himself to his limits to become stronger. People around him died because of his inadequacy and lack of strength in protecting them. So he trained; Shirou became strong not to be appreciated, but to achieve a result where everybody could be happy.

But why... why was he still overcome by such hopelessness? Shirou knew how to fight; even back in his world, he was considered a well-above average mage, especially for his age. But what the hell was the point of knowing how to fight if he couldn't even save a single child?

_I don't want a child dying in front of me. I don't want anyone dying in front of me._

Fear distorted Shirou's face as he was seeing no results. Nothing was more painful and scary for Shirou than not being able to save someone who needed help.

"Someone help her..." Shirou pitifully cried out.

An image of a man in red with his back faced towards Shirou made its way into his mind. It was a person Shirou had not recalled in quite some time, and he wasn't expecting such a person to float up from his memories.

Probably to mock his way of life…

A goal and dream of protecting everyone's smile was something with significant flaws. Shirou himself had realized that it was somewhat of an impossible ideal, and that walking down this path could only lead to tragedy for him. Isn't that what happened back in his world? Because of his ideals, he was ultimately betrayed and sentenced to death by the very people he saved. Was the goal of becoming an Ally of Justice really worth all the pain he would be succumbed to?

_How stupid..._

There might have been something wrong with Shirou's method as well as his outlook towards those in need. But that was completely fine.

Because there's no way that wanting to help people could be a mistake.

The man disappeared from Shirou's mind as if accepting his resolution. Still, right now was not the time to get sentimental. Shirou had no money on him, nor did he have anything of value except the priceless pendant in his pocket.

It was Shirou's last memento from his world as well as his memories with the girl he had once loved. There was no other choice but to give it up if he wanted to save the child in his arms...

"E-excuse me..." a soft and feminine voice quickly drew Shirou's attention.

When Shirou spun around, he instantly recognized the face associated with the voice. After all, he had saved the woman just a couple hours earlier.

"Please! Save her!" Shirou passionately cried with a hoarse voice from all his previously yelling.

"Yes... please hurry and bring her inside my home," the woman said and directed Shirou to the inside of a small hut.

"T-thank you..." Shirou said graciously as he choked back a sob.

* * *

It no longer mattered that Shirou was in a new world, nor did his experiences of being betrayed. The only thing on Shirou's mind was the pleasure and satisfaction of seeing a young child being saved.

While the mother slowly fed the girl a warm bowl of porridge, Shirou sat off to the side of the room and observed the scene with joy.

"Mister," a boy called out to him.

The boy had short dirty brown hair and wore ragged clothing which was much too big for his size. Unlike many of the other children which Shirou had seen in the slums, this boy had a very bright expression. This innocent happiness was probably due to the mother's efforts in raising the young kid.

"What is it?" Shirou asked with a smile.

"Why is your hair red?" the boy grinned.

"Cause I was born that way," Shirou sighed as he recalled the spotlight he had on him throughout the day.

"Really? Then you really are a Fanalis!" the boy gasped in excitement.

"A 'Fanalis'? What's that?" Shirou asked with a raised eyebrow.

It didn't seem like the boy had any problem with reiterating everything he had heard about the race of people with red hair. Some of the stories sounded completely ridiculous, but there must've been some truth in them considering how the citizens had looked at him in awe.

Legends told of the Fanalis people being capable of reducing boulders to rubble with their own fists, and even fending off the wildest of beasts and the strongest of armies completely unarmed and unscathed.

The boy continued to tell his stories as if he were reciting it from a book in his mind. Most of the feats could be reproduced by Shirou if he were to reinforce himself, but were the Fanalis tribe using some form of reinforcement magic as well?

If this were the case, then Shirou could confirm that magic was an essential part of this world's culture. This would mean that Shirou would not need to be so strict on the secrecy of his magic, but rather, he could use it to its full extent without fearing any consequences.

"I've never seen a Fanalis before! I hear most of them are slaves nowadays, so it's rare to see them on the streets," the boy looked at Shirou with sparkling eyes.

Shirou forced back a grimace as he listened. Even slavery was still accepted in this world... What kind of backwards place was this?

"But now there's one sitting in front of me!" the boy almost seemed to squeal as he scrunched up his face with pure delight. "I wonder if you're stronger than sister!"

As Shirou continued to listen to the innocent boy yap away, the first night eventually came to an end.

* * *

Two weeks had passed since Shirou's first eventful day in this new world. The more time Shirou had spent within the slums, the more he understood the destructive destination that this country was headed towards. They were currently at war with the nations surrounding them as they sought out conquest to subjugate those who opposed them. The Kou Empire was expanding its territory at a fearsome rate, and because of that, most of their expenses were directed towards war efforts rather than helping their own people.

Why the hell were their priorities so revolting...?

While seeking out information to get a better sense of his situation from a wide variety of sources, Shirou had found the perfect job in which he could earn money. Because of his red hair which branded him as a member of the Fanalis tribe, he had immediately become a valued prospect for the job.

Bounty hunting; it was a good way to earn money while cleaning the country of the worst of the worst.

The most sinister of thieves, the cruelest of slave drivers, the most ruthless groups of murderers; Shirou had put an end to many of their 'careers' within a short period of time. This had earned him a great sum of money, which he distributed to the mother from the first night, and many others of the slums who required assistance.

But it was never enough...

With every criminal captured and imprisoned, another one would rise and take his place. It was a never ending cycle which could not be stopped by force alone. Individuals will turn to crime and violence when they are backed into a corner; the problem wasn't the people, it was the nation.

Not to mention, the money Shirou had earned was almost negligible when considering how many individuals needed help.

That was when he heard about it.

Dungeons.

Shirou had spent days asking around and interrogating the criminals he hunted in order to pinpoint the exact location of the dungeon.

After another week of scavenging for information, Shirou obtained the new objective of dungeon clearing.

* * *

Rain poured down from the grey and ominous skies as Shirou raced back to the home where he spent the night the first day. The mother of the young boy had offered Shirou a place to stay after realizing he had no other place to go. If only this kindness had existed in everyone's heart.

Thunders roared from the heavens above as if agreeing with Shirou's animosity towards the empire and the royalty who ruled it.

The pitter-patter of Shirou's footsteps echoed through the empty streets as he swiftly ran while shielding his face from the droplets of water with his drenched arm. Once he returned with the bounty he was rewarded from his last apprehension, Shirou would take leave towards the dungeon as well as another bounty mission.

Nothing except the unsystematic rhythm of the rain could be heard, until suddenly, an appalling sound broke through the silence of the descending droplets.

"-re you alright!?" a familiar muffled cry made its way into Shirou's reinforced auditory senses.

Without a second to waste, Shirou's magic circuits erupted in a violent stream as prana was being pumped through in order to reinforce the rest of his body. Each stride Shirou took with his legs covered a distance that was unattainable by normal means.

Within an instant, Shirou arrived back at his temporary home where the source of the scream had generated from.

The image of the mother kneeling over her child who was bleeding from his mouth entered Shirou's vision, and he quickly ran towards them. Though his mouth was covered in blood which had become diluted from the rain, his wound did not appear to be life-threatening.

In the distance, a carriage could be seen racing through the rain in a hurry... It wasn't hard to come to a conclusion on what had just transpired.

"Were they responsible?" as soon as Shirou knelt down to look at the child, he asked the mother in an emotionless tone.

"Yes... they nearly ran him over," the mother replied tragically. "But please don't do anything rash-!"

Before she could finish her statement, Shirou had already taken off after the carriage. His irritation could no longer be contained, and thinking of what could have happened if the child was anymore unfortunate caused Shirou's mind to race out of control.

It was because of these monsters that individuals had to suffer as they did. They did not appear to value human life, and seemed to almost enjoy watching others writhe in pain.

Shirou had only been here for approximately three weeks, and yet, he has been exposed to many of those he could not save...

His heart broke, and his consciousness became swamped by the feelings of futility, but never did his belief in his ideals falter. If anything, it had only become stronger after witnessing those who were in need of saving.

And now... Shirou could not help but feel the need to confront some of the bastards who disregarded human life.

The young boy could've been killed by the horses pulling the carriage, but they had not even bothered slowing down to check up on the kid.

There was no plan of action, or any thought behind what Shirou was doing. He was merely overwhelmed by his desire to express his indignation.

Overtaking the carriage had not been a problem as Shirou sped right in front of their path they were travelling, and spread his arms out wide.

"Stop," Shirou called out in a menacing voice as he watched the carriage approach at a worrisome speed.

However, the rate at which they closed in on Shirou had not decreased at all. In fact, the driver of the carriage seemed to scoff at Shirou's sudden demand and apparently attempted to speed up the horses.

From the looks of it, the carriage was highly extravagant and was without a doubt carrying someone of high status. For a person within the slums like Shirou, he was probably seen as nothing more than a nuisance.

This was the kind of people Shirou needed to deal with.

"I told you to..." Shirou's body trembled in anger as he contracted his muscles and positioned himself firmly into the ground. "STOP!"

The heads of the two horses made heavy contact with the palms of Shirou's hands as he strained himself to hold place. His feet slid along the wet ground as the impressive momentum of the horses propelled Shirou backwards.

Anguished cries from the horses rang through the rainy surroundings as they were suddenly halted in place by a lone man.

"What are you!?" the driver shrieked out nervously.

"Did you see that kid you nearly ran over back there?" Shirou chose to ignore the driver's question, and asked one of his own. Even though it was highly unlikely that the driver had not seen the boy, Shirou still wished to give him the benefit of the doubt.

"You mean that dirty trash back there?" the driver responded as if it was not worth his time to consider.

A brief moment of disbelief struck Shirou as he had to repeatedly analyze what the driver had said. The young boy was not even being considered as human... but trash. Both of Shirou's fists burned white as he clenched them in an attempt to cool himself down.

"You're not kidding are you..." Shirou growled in disdain as he glared at the driver with cold piercing eyes.

"I-I... b-but..." the driver recoiled as he tried meeting Shirou's formidable stare. Under the immense pressure Shirou was exerting, the man could only fumble around with his words.

Rain continued to flood the streets as the horses loudly whined in displeasure of being held down.

"What the hell is all this noise...?" a new and feminine voice called out from inside the carriage. "Why are we not moving...? I recall telling you, driver, to not stop for anything!"

Two figures exited the side of the carriage in a very pompous fashion. One was a taller woman adorned in wonderful clothing and was very well kept, which was apparent from her pure face and silky hair. Strangely enough, the woman's upper face was concealed by obscure bandages with unknown symbols written on them. But compared to the individual beside her, she was most likely just a servant of some sort.

A relatively short individual stepped out onto the soaked roads underneath an umbrella held by the woman to the side. The voice that called out from before definitely belonged to the shorter individual, and even upon closer inspection, the gender of this individual could not be fully determined by Shirou. Judging by the arrogant voice from before, Shirou's guess of the individual's gender leaned more towards the feminine male side.

The individual had a powerful presence circulating around him; a fusion between the celestial-like clothing and the way he presented himself to the world as if he were some sort of divine being.

Long pink hair with three long braids ran down his slender and youthful face. A teal hat with a pair of golden wings imbedded in the center graced the top of his head, and he wore a white formal Chinese vest, decorated in gold and red.

Before hearing who this individual was, there was no doubt in Shirou's mind about the title this individual most likely held.

But what struck Shirou most was the object innocently grasped in the grip of his palm.

A sword. The hilt was wrapped around in bandages and the black and lustrous blade seemed like a cleaver capable of easily tearing apart limbs.

Dangerous.

Shirou could barely study its composition, nor could he determine its history. The sword appeared to have a mind of its own, a sense of self. As if it was alive...

"Your Highness! I'm sorry, but we were abruptly stopped by this man in front of us!" the driver yelped while lowering his head to the individual.

This was one of the rulers of this country.

"Scum like you probably don't even know who he is!" the driver lashed out towards Shirou now that someone of royalty was watching him. "He's the Kou Empire's third imperial prince, Kouha Ren!"

A prince of the Kou Empire was standing before Shirou. Kouha Ren was one of the selfish individuals who were leading this country into ruin.

"I apologize for my behavior, but your irresponsible driver nearly killed a child with his reckless handling of your carriage," Shirou spoke respectfully towards the noble in front of him.

"So?" the prince replied uninterested.

Guess there was no longer any need for formalities.

"You bastard..." Shirou gritted his teeth. "They're your own people, what the hell do you think you're doing?"

"How dare you talk to the Prince in such a manner-!" the servant beside him shouted incredulously.

"It's fine," the prince waved his hand and looked at Shirou peculiarly. "Hey, you're a Fanalis? I wonder if I should execute you for your impertinence."

"What?" Shirou could not believe his ears.

"Where do you think we are? We're in the slums; that kid or whatever from before should be thankful that he was nearly killed by the carriage I was riding on!" the prince replied with a face of pleasure. "These people are the stain of a perfect kingdom; I don't know why we can't just wash them away!"

"You can't be serious; these people need help, it's your duty as the rulers to provide that for them!"

"Hey mister, I don't know if you're blind or what, but we're in the middle of a war," the prince exclaimed. "Why would we reduce our expenses on lowly trash that can't even help themselves?"

"... Are all the members of the royal family this stupidly ignorant?" Shirou cursed audibly.

"It really feels like you're asking me to cleave your body in half!" the prince said with glee. His bloodlust was repulsive... this prince was positively insane. "Brother En is much better and stronger than me. His thirst for blood and battle is greater than anyone's I have ever seen! He'll conquer the world once father dies, and become king of a new world."

"How do you expect to conquer the world when you can barely keep your own people alive!?" Shirou shouted in frustration. After spending weeks seeing those around him die helplessly, Shirou could not help but feel the need to release some of his pent up resentment. "What's the point of spreading pointless wars and increasing the loss of lives!?"

"Pointless...? We have an honorable and righteous goal or uniting the world as one. It's division that invites destruction; we're merely mending the divide," the prince explained as if it were the most obvious thing. "Those who resist, we will kill. There's no problem if we have to power to do so right?"

"For such a thing..." Shirou felt as if he were developing a massive brain hemorrhage from just listening to his words. To unite the world through power and fear... such a thing was impossible; it was nothing less than a contradiction. "You and the rest of the royal family... you're the real trash here."

The prince crossed one of his arms around his stomach and laughed maniacally into the storm above.

"Then what are you going to do about it, Fanalis?" the prince licked his lips as he somewhat calmed down. "Why don't you try to kill me and the rest of the royal family then? Of course, the moment you try, I will cut you down like the rat you are."

To be honest, Shirou had contemplated that course of action numerous times already after travelling the lands. The country was in a mess, and apparently, so were the countries around the Kou Empire.

But even if Shirou could somehow assassinate the entire family, which he highly doubted he could, what was the use of attempting to do so? The royal family was backed by the large amount of nobility that existed in the country. If the royalty were disposed of, it wouldn't be long before another individual took their place to rule the country with an iron fist.

The royal family was not the root of the problem; the foundations and ideologies behind the country were at fault. As much as Shirou thought about it, he had never come up with a reasonable answer to cure the nation of its disease.

However, at this moment, Shirou could not help but think this world would be better off without this prince in front of him.

"Would you like to test that, Your Highness?" Shirou taunted the prince with a wry smile.

"You insolent man..." the servant scowled in a rage."Don't think you'll get away without any punishments even if that was your sad attempt at a joke."

"Ahahah! Let's see what you got, Fanalis!" the prince mused as he brandished his deadly sword in front of him.

As Shirou stood poised and ready for any sudden movements by the prince, the sounds of approaching footsteps was heard.

The moment Shirou realized who they belonged to, he let his shoulders drop and let out a long and exasperated sigh.

Shirou stood in place as he let the woman wrap her arms around Shirou's core from behind.

"P-please, don't fight him..." it was the mother of the young boy who begged him."My son is alright, the blood was the result of him losing his front teeth when he fell..."

"Still, your child could've easily died because of their lack of morals," Shirou refuted as he continued to glare into the prince's battle-hungry eyes.

"If anything were to happen to the prince here... everyone'll be punished, and you will also be killed," the woman said miserably. "T-t-thank you for caring about my son... but it's okay, we're used to this."

They were used to being treated as less than humans... Shirou's heart groaned in pain as if those words were twisting his heart in knots.

"That's right, Fanalis, listen to that whore and get out of my sight," the prince smirked sinisterly.

Shirou forced back the ferocity he felt from the prince's words. Once again, Shirou had felt completely impotent.

Turning around, Shirou removed and held on to the woman's hands which wrapped his body, and walked away from the carriage in the opposite direction.

"How boring..." the prince stated with an annoyed expression, and proceeded to walk back into the carriage. "You're just another coward who can't do anything with his own hands... Just looking at your face pisses me off."

As the rain continued to pelt down onto Shirou, he momentarily tried to forget about what just happened by absorbing the soothing feeling that the droplets provided for him.

* * *

Another week had passed since meeting with Kouha Ren. And as luck would have it, he coincidently saved the eighth imperial princess of the Kou Empire, Kougyoku Ren from a band of thieves which he was hunting.

Before knowing who she was, Kougyoku had thanked Shirou for saving her life. Her dress was torn down the middle, and Shirou could see a bit of her exposed chest as she bowed her body down in gratitude. It doesn't need to be said, but she was quite the beauty, and even Shirou had been captivated by her grace and picturesque appearance when he first met her. Her most striking feature was her deep well-like eyes. It was as if one could see an enigmatic emotion ripple throughout the cosmic blackness inside her pupils; a merger between sorrow and hope.

While she was quite the beauty... it was a shame that she had apparently lost her charm somewhere and forgot all about it. It was bad enough that Kougyoku was a member of the royal family, but her attitude was just as arrogant as Kouha's.

After clearing the dungeon and entering the final chamber containing the treasures spoken of in the legends, Shirou hastily began cleaning out the room. Near the end of the process, one particular object caught Shirou's attention. It was a golden vase with a Star of Lakshmi engraved in the center.

As Shirou approached it, it radiated with magic and once again, the vision of white illuminating birds fluttered across the room in a torrent.

And suddenly, a vast blue giant manifested within a burst of light. It was an abnormal entity which felt like it was more of a vassal for magic rather than something living. Though clearly, the giant appeared to have intelligence as well as a sense of self.

"My name is Vinea, the Djinn of sorrow and isolation. Welcome to my dungeon," the soft-spoken giant in the form of a beautiful woman announced.

Warily, Shirou stepped back a few paces as he vigilantly assessed the giant blue woman named Vinea. There's was no telling whether it was an adversary or friend, and considering every 'life-form' in the dungeon had already attacked Shirou, he wasn't taking any chances.

"I'm Shirou Emiya, pleased to meet you," Shirou returned the introduction as Vinea seemed to have no intention in causing him any harm.

"Well then, Shirou Emiya, as you have cleared the dungeon by yourself, you will be chosen as the King," Vinea declared surprisingly.

"A King?" Shirou said out questionably.

There were rumors about those who had cleared the dungeon gaining an immeasurable amount of power. Shirou had thought that the 'power' was being represented in the form of money, but could there be something else?

No doubt loomed in Shirou's mind about the presence of magicians in this world after observing Kouha's mysterious sword as well as the existence of dungeons itself. It wouldn't be surprising if clearing the dungeon granted the individual some sort of magical item as well.

"Judging by your expression, I suppose you are not informed about becoming a King's Candidate and what it means?" Vinea said with a look of interest.

"And if I'm not?" Shirou replied while still being cautious of the being in front of him.

"Then..." Vinea said as she glared down at Shirou who returned the perturbing stare. "I have no choice but to tell you everything! Please come chat with me, I haven't met anyone in years; it's been a little lonely here all by myself."

Her innocent and pure expression, mixed together with a sense of optimism left Shirou with no other choice but to accept. Shirou was never one to turn down an invitation to have a friendly chat, and if the giant lady looked at him with those eager eyes, how could he possibly turn her down?

If this was all an act to lure Shirou in, then he was probably as good as dead.

* * *

Time went by as Vinea explained the situation of the King Candidate and the Metal Vessels they obtain from clearing the dungeons. This granted the individual the capability to become King by gaining the power to use Magoi. With this power, these individuals can rise to higher heights, and become someone who can lead the people to a better world, a utopia. A place where differences are set aside and individuals are united as one country under one king.

Exactly what the individual has to overcome to achieve this dream-like destination was unknown, but it had once been a reality because of the work of an individual known as Solomon. A King Candidate is essentially someone who has the potential to take Solomon's place.

A thought emerged in Shirou's mind; perhaps there were King Candidates in the Kou Empire, and their method of completing this dream was by conquering the world through sheer force. The weapon Kouha carried must've been a Metal Vessel then; after all, it gave off the same magic that the Djinn, Vinea, was giving off.

"Then let's see if you're compatible with me," Vinea said with slightly blushed cheeks.

She concentrated her gaze directly into Shirou's eyes as if she were scanning deep within his soul. A minute went by, and finally she diverted her eyes with a surprised expression.

"What is it...?" Shirou asked as the Djinn seemed to mutter to herself. If she had actually looked deep into Shirou's soul, then it was understandable that she'd be surprised.

"You're a magician loved by the Rukh... but at the same time, you're a little strange," Vinea explained.

"Strange?" Shirou replied.

"Ahh sorry! I didn't mean it that way," Vinea quickly exclaimed and waved both her hands in front of her. "There's something different about you, but I'm not sure exactly what... I'm certain of one thing though, you're not from this world."

"You can tell?" Shirou asked in amazement.

"Yes, you were brought into this world by the flow of Rukh, but I do not know any more than that," Vinea answered.

"I see..." Shirou said dejectedly. He had hoped Vinea knew the explanation for why he was brought into this world. "Then what about our compatibility?"

"I'm afraid you'd have no use for me as a Metal Vessel," Vinea said depressingly. "Your magical affinity is much too different from mine."

Shirou would've loved a partner to chat with from time to time, but he supposed it just wasn't meant to be.

* * *

The image of the Kou Empire capital entered Shirou's line of sight as he suddenly woke from his daze. Beams of light brightened the surroundings as the sun began rising from the horizon.

Shirou rubbed his eyes and let out a large yawn as he readied himself to enter the city.

Approximately seven hours had passed since he was transported out of the dungeon with Kougyoku's company, and now he was nearly at his destination. Still, the male in black clothing who had accompanied Kougyoku was someone Shirou could not shake from his mind.

It was like staring at an embodiment of darkness and evil. Upon seeing that man, Shirou was suddenly reminded of the villagers back in his own world. They were all surrounded by a flurry of black birds. Shirou's instinct had told him that the man named Judal was definitely a problem.

Eventually, Shirou was allowed into the city with his large wagon, of course this was after he bribed the city guards to let him in without inspection.

As the wagon was being pulled in the direction of the slums by the camels, Shirou thought of the naive princess.

Kougyoku had been quite opposed to giving over the treasures to Shirou, and just thinking about it was infuriating him. She was already a part of the selfish royal family, and yet she still wanted more than she already had? To think, that if Kougyoku had gotten to the dungeon before Shirou had, then the people of the slums would have to continue to suffer.

However, that wasn't the only problem; Kougyoku had been chosen as a King Candidate by Vinea. There was absolutely no way such a person was qualified to become King. She cared more for herself than the people she was already responsible for.

"Hah..." Shirou let out a long sigh. "Getting angry about it now won't do any good."

Shaking his head, Shirou continued along the roads, and after a few minutes he arrived in the center of the marketplace.

The usual activities of this shopping area was still limited due to how early it was in the morning, but this was the perfect time for Shirou to distribute the treasures without the interference of outsiders.

"Hey you four!" Shirou called out to a group of teenagers who were loitering around.

The four hesitantly walked over to Shirou and asked what he wanted.

Their hesitation magically disappeared after Shirou had given each of them a few golden coins in exchange for bringing every single individual living in the slums to the marketplace. He had given them incentive by promising them even more gold after they successfully brought everyone to this area.

"Money can sometimes be more powerful than any mind control spell after all," Shirou said jokingly as he watched the four run off to do their jobs.

Hundreds and hundreds of individuals arrived on scene over the course of the next hour. Once the flow of individuals came to a halt, Shirou began his next step in his plan.

Shirou announced himself as an official of the Kou Empire in order to gain the authority of the people, and commanded everyone to separate into their respective families if they had one. This way, he could avoid the mayhem of individuals trying to get more than Shirou would distribute to them.

When Shirou had first hauled one of the bags over his shoulder and opened it to the first family, the crowds of people nearly fainted from bliss. They cheered and wept as Shirou handed out the items of untold value to each and every one of them. Grown men broke down in tears as they grasped Shirou's hands while giving him their heartfelt gratitude.

Nothing in the world could give Shirou more pleasure than seeing the expression of the individuals in front of him now. All his troubles, all his worries; they were tucked away in the recessions of the deepest corners of his mind as he continued to bask in everyone's happiness.

Eventually, he stood in front of the mother with the young boy who was now missing his two front teeth.

The mother could barely let out any understandable words as streams of tears crept down her face filled with joy.

"You deserve this," Shirou said compassionately to the mother.

"T-thank you so much..." she openly cried.

"Mister, mister!" the young boy tugged on Shirou's hand with excitement.

"What is it?" Shirou asked the boy innocently.

"You work for sister Kougyoku right?" the boy asked with a bright smile.

_Kougyoku...?_

"He means the eighth imperial princess, Kougyoku," the mother cleared away the possibility of it being someone else. "You said you were an official of the Kou Empire as well, so it wouldn't be too farfetched to believe."

"Why do you think I would work for Kougyoku?" Shirou asked the boy with a very perplexed expression. The idea of him working under the princess was quite a distasteful picture.

But the next words coming out of the boys mouth completely caught Shirou off guard.

"Because sister Kougyoku promised everyone in the slums that she would bring back all the treasures as gifts once she captures the dungeon!" the boy explained as if he were a detective solving a mystery. "She's super strong after all, and I believe she would keep her promise no matter what!"

Time froze as Shirou tried racking his brain in order to compute the extremely confusing information that was suddenly flooding into his head.

Kougyoku was planning to distribute the treasures to the people of the slums much like Shirou was at the moment? Then could it be that the reason for her intense objection to Shirou taking the treasures was because... she did not want to see the people suffer any longer than they had too...?

But wait... why didn't she just tell Shirou what she was planning to do with the treasures? It would've saved them the arguments.

_Same reason why I didn't tell her._

They both believed that the other was a greedy scumbag that wanted all the treasures for their own self-centered desires. Who would they waste their breath on someone like that?

Everything was falling into place as Shirou began taking an entirely contrary perspective towards the princess.

And there was one last piece of the puzzle that Shirou had only realized now.

_"What are you doing here you... you... idiot!"_

_"As if I could ever forget a big idiot like you!"_

_"Don't call me an idiot, you idiot!"_

...

"... heh... hahah... Hahah!" Shirou could no longer contain himself as he burst into a full out laughing attack. He could not recall a time when he had laughed so hard in his life. "Hahahahah-!"

Shirou's eyes brimmed with tears and he tightly clutched his stomach as he tried gasping for breaths in between his hysterical laugh. It was all because of one fact that Shirou had somehow missed completely.

There was no doubt about it.

"She's a tsundere-!" Shirou shouted up into the skies and smacked the palm of his hand onto his forehead as he once again broke into another spell of hilarity.

It was a little disappointing for Shirou in a sense; after all, he had spent nearly a year of his life around the tsundere queen. Shirou should have at least developed a tsundere sensor of some sort at this point, but oddly enough, he hadn't suspected a single thing from Kougyoku.

But the reason was clear... the betrayal of his allies, the scorn from the villagers he had saved, the pitiful lives of so many people in this world, the actions of the Kou Empire... these experiences Shirou has had over the past month had begun to accumulate and change his views on humanity. He had assumed that because Kouha was an arrogant bastard, then the other members of the family had to be as well. If this were to continue, Shirou may have eventually become someone who could no longer trust.

Fortunately, his mindset had been cleansed by the very princess whom he believed to be a part of the cause.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" Shirou said happily to the crowd of people that looked on in worry. "Yes, I work for Kougyoku! She told me to give out the treasures to everyone here!"

"I knew it," the mother said happily as she once again began wiping the tears from her eyes. "You and princess Kougyoku are so similar. The both of you always tried your best in helping me and my child, as well as those from around here. Princess Kougyoku has never been truly welcomed in the royal family because she was not born in the royal palace and is a lowborn."

"I see..." Shirou whispered beneath his breath.

"Her mother was a prostitute here in the slums much like me, so I can't imagine what sort of harassment she gets in the palace," the mother said with her eyes closed. "But now that I know you work for her, I feel a lot better. Please continue to protect princess Kougyoku from here on out!"

The mother deeply bowed her head not for herself, but for Kougyoku. A sense of guilt began arising from Shirou's gut as he thought about how much Kougyoku had meant to these unfortunate people.

_I seriously misjudged you, princess Kougyoku._

"I'll take care of her, don't you worry," Shirou promised to the mother and himself.

Inside Shirou's pocket was the pendant he had always carried with him no matter where he went. It was because of this very pendant that Shirou was allowed to live and he would continue to be thankful for it.

He gently grasped the pendant by the chain and held the red jewel up into the sun where it began to dazzle brilliantly underneath the light.

Shirou could at last see where his journey would take him.

It was finally his chance to repay the favor to the lovely red jewel.

**[Chapter 3 End]**

Author Notes:

Well that's that, my introduction is finally over… From the reviews, it seems pacing is a problem so far, and after 30,000 words… I can't help but agree. I seriously tried to reduce the number of words in this chapter, but I couldn't. My habit of writing everything I think of is still going strong, so don't expect a change in my pacing anytime soon. It'll gradually improve though, I promise.

Of course, now that I'm getting into the actually plot of my story, things will drastically speed up in terms of advancement in the story.

For those of you who would like to know the direction of where this story is headed, the last three sentences will give you the answer. If you know what red jewel translates into Japanese, then there's your solution. Just a little play on words lol.

Reviewer Comments:

ImagineBreaker7: Thanks for the review! Updates will be coming in slower unfortunately

Guest: I love misunderstandings

KenZe: Thanks for reading! Sindria still exists, and Sinbad is still as badass as ever. In the last chapter where Judal talks about some bastard that keeps interrupting his work, that was a shout out to Sinbad. Sindria will eventually be affected by the appearance of Shirou.

Fangking2: I agree, Mor has enough guys going after her. Perhaps a brother/sister relationship at most, but not romance-wise. I can see Hakuei developing an interest due to their similar sense of justice though.

Phuxeds: Thanks! The little Archer personality was due to the initial betrayal from Shirou's allies, but he'll revert back to the lovable Shirou eventually lol. Since you have read my other story, you'll know that I love it when overconfident villains get stomped.

Condor green: Thanks! But sadly, nothing new happened this chapter…

Inconspicuous Llama: I suggest the manga, but the anime is decent!

Drahcir4: Urgh, nice catch. Thanks for letting me know!

Kenegi: I would like to think so. I'm looking at the possible Djinn's and so far, there's one that's a master archer or something. Sounds pretty good. Shirou is exactly as he was back in his world.

Marcus Galen Sands: Thanks for reading! Probably not Metal Vessels, but I'd like to think Household Vessels are possible.

MorninZ: Thanks for reading! I put in a lot of effort for the ending last chapter lol.

O: I completely agree, both of them value their ideals more than the people around them. They're selfishness in their belief is as strong as their selflessness, and that's what I believe makes them so similar in terms of personality.

N0mster: Thanks for the review; looking at the possible Djinns and so far I've found an archer. There are not many females in Magi, which is probably the reason for so many fujoshi… (no offense to any of them!) so don't expect many to join the harem if there is one hahah…

RealmOfEmptiness: Hope you had a good birthday! And dear god… that revelation of yours… I basically have an ending planned out already just from that alone. You will be credited once I reach the ending, which won't be anytime soon lol.

Ok: Thanks for the constructive review! I agree it's harder to express certain things with writing alone, unless you're proficiently skilled at it, which I'm not. But the reason for the little banter between the two of them wasn't for comic reasons alone. My reasons for it are as follows: 1) Kana Hanazawa voices Kougyoku, and I love it when she called people idiots lol. 2) It shows Kougyoku's defensive behavior for her reclusive self. In order to not be a princess who can be mocked and bullied by others, she has to present a side of herself which can properly combat with others. 3) It shows Shirou isn't a complete machine, and still has a juvenile personality which can still feel irritated by little things. If this were Archer, then he'd probably just laugh it off and make a sarcastic joke about Kougyoku. Long-story short, I think dialogue can present many things no matter how moronic it is.

Ressan: It's bound to eventually happen!

DemonRaily: That's Shirou for ya, he confuses the hell out of all tsundere characters. And very good reason for watching/reading Magi hahah!

Oz Zaber: Pretty close lol

Tikigod784: Thanks for the review, and you're right, betrayal and trust is something I hope to develop as a theme in this story. Your prediction isn't entirely off… I think lol. Still in the planning process.

Guest: I think of Metal Vessels as more than just providing prana for the thing to function. I think it's more of like a merger between the Djinn's magic and your own magic. Shirou's affinity for swords conflicts with different Djinns, for example, Vinea who has an affinity towards water related things. Can't say anything about the word count though…

Arcane Alchemist: Not too much Archer-personality, but Shirou has shown that he can be quite sarcastic and teasing when he wants to. I thought the Shiro/Shirou was the other way around, but I usually see 'Shirou' typed everywhere. Yeah Morgiana is a great character, but there's enough guys going after her heart! Perhaps in the future he'll obtain his own Metal Vessel, but he'll have to rely on his own abilities for now. Thanks for the reviews!

Barium Bromide: This is Shirou a year after the HGW, so he won't be spamming NPs or anything. Something like an excaliblast would have him on the edge of death, and he has Avalon, but no link to Saber!

Guest: Thanks for your thoughts! I'll think of something by the time I reach the Sindria arc, if there is one.

Zeio: Hahah, typical Shirou for ya. Magi is a great read, I hope you continue to read!

Sir Godot: Thanks! I'm glad I could mesh them together properly so far.

Sage of Oblivion: Yeah… I hate to admit, but I stopped during the Balbadd arc, only to pick to back up after like a year lol.

Kamigawa Nagamaki: Thanks for the review! Yeah I agree, I wouldn't overpower Shirou to the point where he could obliterate or even fight on par with a serious Sinbad for example. That'd completely undermine the Magi world, which I wouldn't do.

KayVon: Sorry about the pacing, I'm working on it lol.

Guest: No worries, if I ever drop a story, I'd post it on my profile.

Thanks for reading! One last question, whose perspective do you like better? From Kougyoku's or Shirou's POV?

Reviews are always welcome!

Till next time,

Cheers.


End file.
